Stars and Hammers
by Cassandrala
Summary: Kili and Tauriel - Fluff, Drama, Romance, Hurt/Comfort - This is a compilation of one-shots following Kili and Tauriel's one-year adventure as they accompany Bilbo back to The Shire (after the Battle of Five Armies) and then return to Erebor.
1. Welcome to Stars and Hammers

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**Welcome to Stars and Hammers!**

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This is a compilation of one-shots following Kili and Tauriel's adventures together as they return Master Bilbo to The Shire (after the Battle of Five Armies) and then return to Erebor—the span of one year.

The events are not necessarily tied to each other or arranged in chronological order; some chapters will be small, short events, and other chapters will be incredibly long. This is a follow-up story to Gold and Fire, but can be read by itself (and any relevant information from that other story will be given an explanation here so that you don't have to go back to refer to it).

This story is also open to prompts, so if you have an idea that you'd like to see fleshed out in a chapter, please feel free to leave it in the reviews or a private message to me.

I make no promises as far as updates go, but I can promise you that it will not be longer than two weeks between each one. More likely than not, it will only be a few days.

I hope you enjoy reading this as much as I enjoy writing it!


	2. Climbing Trees

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**STARS AND HAMMERS**

_**Climbing Trees**_

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><p><em>No one needs to know that you let me in tonight<em>

_That you let me see the world behind your eyes_

_I want to see us work, dear, to reach the other side  
>My treachery is love, dear, we're on both ends of the fight <em>

_We're fighting for ourselves, we're fighting for our lives  
>Won't you let me see the world behind your eyes<em>

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><p><em>"Behind Your Eyes" Jon Foreman<em>

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><p>Kili sighed in exasperation.<p>

"Surely, master dwarf, you _can_ climb." The elf-maid smiled at him with a wicked gleam in her eye.

"It's not something I'm incapable of," He said with his fists on his hips. He could still recall vividly when Thorin's company had been forced into the pine trees beyond the goblin caves, cornered by Azog. Kili tried to hide the shiver that ran through him at the memory. "But I won't be heading quite as high or moving quite as swiftly as you."

Kili reached out a hand to a branch and lifted his foot against the trunk, bouncing for a moment on the heel that still stretched from the ground. Leaping and shifting his weight to hang from his arms, he managed to make it up a portion of the tree before panting and looking up at his companion. "Is this sufficient?"

"You are still on the first set of branches." Tauriel smirked down at him, body leaning far from where her hand anchored her and a single foot held its placing while the other dangled weightlessly in the air. Kili glanced down—she was right, he was about his own height of distance from the ground.

"You are more nimble than you give yourself credit for. Come higher." She goaded.

Though he knew she was learning to speak it, he chanced a grumble in Khuzdul and hoped she didn't catch it when he called her a wicked seductress who enjoyed torturing him.

Kili felt his determination kicking in and leapt through several more branches, earning him a few gasps from his elven companion when he risked a few perilous looking jumps. He might not have much experience with hauling himself up by his arms, but he certainly had it where it counted in hurdles and leaps.

One more jump—further and higher than the others—and he felt his weight straining the branches.

"I believe, daughter of the forest, this is where I stop." He grinned dumbly at her while clutching a swaying branch. "Did I risk my life in getting here for no reason or am I due some sort of reward?"

He saw a nervous smile on Tauriel's face as she bit her lip and thought about it.

"Or maybe I should hazard a drop and see if you'll offer me sympathy." His eyes crinkled with his mischievous smile.

"Always playing." Tauriel whispered with a shake of her head. "But the reward is mine—you are teaching me to undo the stiffness I have learned in seclusion with my kin."

"If you want to learn to _play_ properly," He said with a wavering frown as the branches around him cracked and whined, "I can think of a much less deadly approach to that lesson."

Part of his support broke and Kili gasped as he felt himself plunge a little lower, changing his footing and grunting while grasping for something more solid.

"Kili!" The elf called his name, leaning forward.

The dwarf let out a cry as he descended toward the ground when his second support collapsed, sending him to the dirt like a heavy rock.

"Kili!" She called again, dropping from branch to branch as though she weighed nothing.

He thought she looked like a cat, pouncing from each branch as though they were steps made perfectly for her to perch from. Enjoying the scene while it lasted, he forgot to breathe until she came to kneel beside him.

Gasping loudly, Kili realized he'd had the wind knocked out of him. He was lying on his back in a pile of leaves and dirt, a numb soreness taking over at his hips. "Oh, Mahal, that was no fun."

"I'm sorry!" Tauriel cast him a worried glance as her hands hovered over him, looking unsure for fear of hurting him further. "I shouldn't have—"

"It hurts," He moaned while he squeezed his eyes shut, slowly rolling his head to the side.

"I'm sorry," She said with wetness in her eyes, hand to her mouth. "Where are you hurt? Tell me where you're injured!"

"Legs, hips, arms…" He groaned again and twitched his arms, holding one of them out to hold her hand. "Shoulders, head, back… everything."

Tauriel gasped softly and Kili wondered if she really believed him.

"All that and no reward," He smiled weakly, but followed it with a pained expression. "And to top it, I'm afraid of heights—"

Kili never finished, though, as Tauriel was pressing her lips to his and winding her fingers through his hair, murmuring apologies between each kiss and stroking at the roots of his scalp. He savored the soft skin at the corner of her mouth, licking it before running his own hands through her hair and pulling her to him in a strong hold.

She paused. "I thought your arms were injured."

"Not really," He laughed softly, pulling at her lower lips with his. "I'm fine."

"Kili," Tauriel stiffened and pulled away, standing over him with her hands on her hips. "You're not injured at all, are you?"

"Dwarves are made of stone," He chortled. "Do you really think a fall like that could hurt me?"

Her eyes were slit open as she frowned at him and he wondered how badly he was going to pay later on for his prank. "Well," Kili waved a hand at her. "I_ did_ warn you beforehand that I was going to hazard a drop to play on your sympathy." Kili jumped to his feet and bounced on his heels, crossing his arms and smiling widely as she shook her head at him.

"And these are the lengths you will go for a kiss?" She looked at him incredulously.

"I'd risk more than that for your kisses," He admitted truthfully and was surprised—as well as pleased—to see a blush come over her cheeks and a small smile. "Is that what it will take?" He added, wondering how much convincing the she-elf would need to accept that he'd already become so fiercely loyal to her.

It was a characteristic of dwarves to be incredibly devoted to their friends, family, and eventual spouses, but he began to wonder if elves did the same. Perhaps this explained was why Tauriel was always so hesitant. That was the crux of the matter, wasn't it? Elves made their decision once, therefore the making of that decision would take an incredibly long time—weighing the cost, assessing their partner, even comparing them to others…

"I'm sorry I'm so tentative." She muttered, as if reading his thoughts, and took a step toward him. "Please do not think that I don't..." Tauriel fixed a scrutinizing eye on her dwarf companion. "You thought I was still deciding whether or not I wanted you?"

The question pierced Kili deeply. He hadn't been expecting that she would see through him so clearly, but nodded his head, inwardly relieved that he hadn't had to _voice_ his concern, a conversation he knew he would have ruined.

"Of that, never fear, master dwarf." She raised an eyebrow and let the corner of her mouth climb into a mischievous smile mimicking his own before pressing her lips against his in a crushing kiss.

.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

**Want a **Kili and OC **humorous parody? **Try HOW TO WRECK A MARY SUE****

**Kili and Danika are tired of being pushed around in fan fiction stories and make a pact to defy writer's prompts, but do they have any idea what will happen if they don't play by the rules? Guest appearances from Luna Lovegood, The Doctor, Sherlock, and others!**

**.**

**Want some Fili/OC romance/adventure? Try GOLD AND FIRE**

**Fili and Princess Nur of the Iron Hills marry in secret just before he leaves for Erebor, but what is a lonely wife to do while her husband is braving life and death for their future? Covers the Battle of Five Armies and afterward. ****Explanations for some of the actions within the movies as well as some behind the scenes! A sequel to GEMS AND POISON- the first big adventure of Fili and Kili!**

**.**

**Want some Thorin/OC romance/angst? **Try JEWELS AND DAGGERS****

**Just as Thorin becomes engaged to be married, the dragon attacks Erebor and all is thrown into chaos! Thieving men take captive some of the wandering dwarves- will Thorin, Frerin, and Dwalin be able to rescue the enslaved dwarves, including Runa, Thorin's beloved?**


	3. Confession

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**STARS AND HAMMERS**

_**Confession**_

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><p><em>I used to bite my tongue and hold my breath<em>  
><em>Scared to rock the boat and make a mess<em>  
><em>So I sat quietly, agreed politely<em>  
><em>I guess that I forgot I had a choice<em>  
><em>I let you push me past the breaking point<em>  
><em>I stood for nothing, so I fell for everything<em>

_You held me down, but I got up  
>Get ready 'cause I've had enough<br>I see it all, I see it now_

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><p><em>"Roar (acoustic)" Savannah Outen<em>

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><p><strong><em>-Tauriel-<em>**

Coming home doesn't really feel like coming home. It is simply a location I am familiar with.

I mean, yes—this is where I grew up… but it isn't where I found out who I really am. It wasn't where I discovered who I was.

I think it's because here, in Mirkwood, I was influenced by what everyone wanted for me. They told me what I was and, because I was grateful for their nurture and care, I accepted it without question.

But you can't really fight your instincts—you can't really stop being that baser personality deep inside of you. I thought it was something I had to resist and suppress, something I needed to train so that I could become more and more like the person everyone wanted me to be. But as soon as I got some distance from my kin, I started to see that they were wrong.

It was startling for me when the dwarves didn't scold me for the same things the Mirkwood elves did. And then the dwarves even encouraged those bits of my character that I let slip. Slowly, but surely, I let bits of myself show and the dwarves kept encouraging me. Kili still thinks I'm pretty reserved, but if he knew just how much I actually permit myself to do—that my kin would be offended by—he might be surprised. Either that, or he'd cheer me on and clamor for more.

There are pieces of myself that I've laid bare and I've begun to realize that _this_ is the way I am _supposed_ to be.

I am _meant_ to be bold and daring—instead of quiet and safe.

I am _meant_ to be brutally honest—instead of lying for the sake of social etiquette.

I am _meant_ to be loyal to those whom I love—instead of pretending that my sentiment is a weakness.

And I am _meant_ to be paired with this dwarf—instead of listening to racial prejudice and thinking him lower because he is of another race. Surely, Luthien did not revile Beren; she being an elf and he being a man—and the race of elves still holds her in high regard!

Kili is _not_ my world, but he is a crucial part of it. I would be crippled without him. I hope he knows this. I hope he understands when I tell him that I love him. I would die in an instant if it saved his life.

In fact… I already have.

Those words I spoke over him when the poison threatened to consume him and twist him into something evil—they were not just meant to heal a wound. They were meant to _save his soul_. Morghul poison would have claimed him as a servant for the evil that concocted that venom—he would not have been able to enter the halls of his forefathers when death came; he would have been an outcast, wandering the afterlife as an evil specter. I was not chanting a healing spell, I was praying to the gods for Kili's spirit. But something like that… it comes at a heavy price.

The words, if he had heard them in the common tongue, were these:

_May the blessing that was given to me be sent from me to him, may he be released from death._

And here he stands, in the throne-room before King Thranduil, tentatively touching my hand, just as he did on that night when the Valar answered my prayer… that alone would be proof that my immortality has been taken from me, but I can also feel it.

I feel the aging beginning to happen. I can sense it, just as Luthien must have when she traded her immortality for her own lover's life. And suddenly she becomes even more of a beacon of hope for me, more so than before. I do not know what awaits me in the afterlife, but I know that wherever and whatever it is, I shall share the same fate as Tinuviel. It makes me smile.

I must have smiled at the wrong time during King Thranduil's speech because he is frowning at me. A year ago, this scowl might have pierced into my heart, but now it doesn't faze me. I grip Kili's hand firmly, not caring who sees it now. They have already shown their disapproval of me since we arrived yesterday, and for things such as their vision of propriety and decorum—I may as well show everything so they can scold me in one fell swoop.

I see Kili shifting from one foot to another and I think that he is bored with the elf-king as Thranduil continues his monologue… but then I notice him favoring his leg and I realize the wound is bothering him again. We have been tending to it regularly as of late and I begin to think that the cold weather might be causing a majority of the discomfort.

While his wound will never properly close, his soul has been washed and purified so that he can enter into eternity with his father and grandfather. The sacrifice I've made is worth it to me, but I have not brought the subject up to Kili. I'm not sure how he would respond. In my daydreams, I have imagined him saying something like, "So does this mean that I'll live forever now?" and I would respond with the hearty laugh the dwarves have taught to me. But in my worst dreams, he will learn of it and be angry…

"My lord," I interrupt the King as he sits on his throne. "I apologize, but my companion and I are weary from travel and hope that you will excuse us as we take rest. Perhaps we can continue this on the morn?"

I consider myself polite enough—the King has had us standing for at least half an hour already, and while I see Kili taking it patiently, I know his injury is painfully throbbing by now—but the glares I receive on all sides tell me that they think I should have more patience and respect. I do not resist the feeling of resentment that washes over me—_I_ am being rude? The King, knowing what my companion has suffered, has held us as a captive audience for longer than was necessary!—and remind myself that I do not need to fear their censure anymore. I know what I stand for, I know who I am, and I know where I belong. May those reminders be shield enough for me during our stay…

I see the King's eyes dart, ever so subtly, to the dwarf who is now standing in obvious pain—if it has reached that point, where Kili is not even pretending anymore, then he must be in agony—and Thranduil's face softens a little. With a wave of his hand, he dismisses us and we bow before turning to descend the stairs.

Ugh. Stairs. This is not going to be pleasant for my beloved. I offer him my arm and he hesitantly slips his wrist through the loop my elbow makes. I know how prideful he can be, but I think he knows that I wouldn't take it well if he refused my help.

I pat his hand as he grips my forearm. "Better than my carrying you pig-a-back for all to see."

Kili smirks and then grunts as we reach the last step. "Indeed." He says in a voice imitating King Thranduil.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

**Want a **Kili and OC **humorous parody? **Try HOW TO WRECK A MARY SUE****

**Kili and Danika are tired of being pushed around in fan fiction stories and make a pact to defy writer's prompts, but do they have any idea what will happen if they don't play by the rules? Guest appearances from Luna Lovegood, The Doctor, Sherlock, and others!**

**.**

**Want some Fili/OC romance/adventure? Try GOLD AND FIRE**

**Fili and Princess Nur of the Iron Hills marry in secret just before he leaves for Erebor, but what is a lonely wife to do while her husband is braving life and death for their future? Covers the Battle of Five Armies and afterward. ****Explanations for some of the actions within the movies as well as some behind the scenes! A sequel to GEMS AND POISON- the first big adventure of Fili and Kili!**

**.**

**Want some Thorin/OC romance/angst? **Try JEWELS AND DAGGERS****

**Just as Thorin becomes engaged to be married, the dragon attacks Erebor and all is thrown into chaos! Thieving men take captive some of the wandering dwarves- will Thorin, Frerin, and Dwalin be able to rescue the enslaved dwarves, including Runa, Thorin's beloved?**


	4. Confession II

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**STARS AND HAMMERS**

_**Confessions II**_

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><p><em>Am I wrong for thinking outside the box from where I stay?<em>

_Am I wrong for saying that I choose another way?_

_I'm not trying to do what everyone else is doing,_

_Just because everyone's doing what they do._

_If there's one thing I know, I'll fall but I'll grow;_

_I'm walking down this road, this road I call home._

_So am I wrong for thinking we could be something for real?_

_Am I wrong for trying to reach the things that I can't see?_

_But that's just how I feel…_

_Fight for yours and don't let go— don't let them compare you, no!_

_Don't worry, you're not alone—That's just how we feel._

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><p>"<em>Am I Wrong" Boyce Avenue<em>

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><p><em><strong>-Kili-<strong>_

I'm trying to be civil—really, I am! But these Mirkwood elves are making it so blasted difficult. I didn't expect welcoming banners and flower petals, but these beings are ridiculous…

I've seen the way they look at her, these people who supposedly "took her in" after her parents died. I don't see anything but disgust. I know it's mostly due to arriving with a dwarf, but I see her guarded reactions and I know that look—because it's the same look I'd wear when Thorin would say something critical to me. I loved him and what he said mattered to me. There's weight to their words and it's heavy on Tauriel's shoulders, but she pretends to take it all in stride. Even so, I keep thinking that my "lack" of height is an advantage I could use against them and their knees…

"The King has a tendency to ramble," Tauriel murmured quietly as we approached the throne-room. "We might be here a while."

I nod, mentally preparing myself—I have an active imagination and long conversations don't naturally agree with my demeanor. Well, except for conversations with Tauriel. Everything she says is fascinating to me. I'm pretty sure she could talk about cow dung and I'd still be enthralled.

"If you experience any discomfort, you'll need to let me know quickly. I'll have to find a lull in the conversation to excuse us."

I know that she's talking about my leg again and I should be feeling embarrassed, but I'm not. She purposefully avoided making it sound condescending, or causing me to feel like I'm weak, and I love her for it. And I know that I'll be looking for my own opportunity in the conversation—I have something important to discuss with King Thranduil. I won't be bringing it up while Tauriel is with me; I need to find a way to speak to him alone… and I'm not sure how that's even going to work.

"You're very quiet." Tauriel mentions, stopping us from stepping up a flight of stairs.

"Thinking." I muttered, hoping my expression didn't look quite as serious as my thoughts.

"You look nervous." Her brows came together and the concern on her face made my heart melt.

"It's nothing." I said with a smile, waving it off and moving up the stairs.

But it isn't nothing. In fact, it's everything, if I'm going to be honest with myself. I am going to ask for Tauriel's hand in marriage…

As emissaries to each of our people, there are protocols and customs we inform each other of in the hopes that we can better serve each of the kingdoms we are dispatched to. But this… there is absolutely no way I can learn about this from her.

In my culture, the female initiates the relationships. It makes sense, seeing as there are so few of them, and when they single out a male, we know it's important to pay attention. But the elves don't have that same problem and I don't know what their customs are. I know I could probably ask Tauriel this question, but for some reason I can't seem to find the courage. Somehow, in my foolish brain, it makes more sense to ask her father for permission to court her than ask her about it.

Sure, because _that's_ not awkward…

She told me, early on, that she was an orphan, but that someone had taken over care for her. I still don't understand ages, as far as elves are concerned, because they seem to go on forever and I can't get a clear answer on when elves mature, but Tauriel tells me she is still considered incredibly young. In fact, she told me that when we finally announce ourselves as a pair to the elves, they will consider me a cradle robber.

No, _that's_ not awkward either.

We've made it up the stairs and Tauriel is bowing low to King Thranduil, who is perched lazily on his throne while emanating a majestic flair. He is answering her in their tongue and immediately my mind begins searching for the greeting she's taught me. I know I'll butcher it, but she told me that it is more about the confidence behind the words rather than the pronunciation. I hope that's right, because I'm trying to impress this stuck-up King before I get up the gumption to ask him if I can marry the beautiful lass standing beside me.

Yes, _that's_ the awkward part.

King Thranduil, the elf whom my uncle despised—with good cause— is Tauriel's surrogate father. Suddenly, I have found a reason to be grateful that my uncle is no longer among us because if he knew that I was trying to warm up to the King of the Mirkwood elves, I'm certain he would kill me. In fact, I'm pretty sure that he would come back from the halls of our fathers just to haunt me for it.

"Elen sila lumen omentilmo." I say as smoothly as I can when it is my turn to greet the King. I was told that it means _a__ star shall shine on the hour of our meeting, _but I wouldn't put it past Tauriel if she had actually taught me to say _your hair is like that of hobbits' feet_. Speaking of the hobbit, I wish he were here. For some reason, Bilbo seemed wary of attending an audience with King Thranduil and had been excused from our meeting. Lucky bastard.

The elf-King nods his head and begins to speak in flowery prose. I think he likes the sound of his own voice, but I nod and look interested. In an out of the common tongue, Thranduil finds it entertaining to insert an elvish word every once in a while, and I catch only a few of the words. At some point he makes a reference to me, calling me Spangaer, which I know means _bearded one_. I try very hard not to laugh. Among my own, I am not considered blessed as far as facial hair, but here among the "smooth chins" I am regarded as something frighteningly hairy. I could care less. Tauriel likes my scruff and that's all that matters to me.

It isn't until a while later that I realize I'm daydreaming about Tauriel's freckles again—I had told her that they looked like stars on her face, a compliment that made her blush as red as her hair—and have become hopelessly lost as far as discussions go. If you can call it a discussion; there's only _one_ voice filling the throne-room of Mirkwood. Personally, I think Thranduil's people have become so bored with listening to him speak that they purposefully avoid him, thus he makes up for the lack of attention whenever he has guests. And my leg is starting to hurt.

How long have we been standing here? I shift a little, hoping the movement doesn't alert my elven lover. She told me to give her a sign if I got uncomfortable and I'm considering making one now. But I think I can wait…

My eyes wander to the elves next to the stairs of the throne and I see the face of an elf I met yesterday. He is standing beside one of the guards and making an ever-so-subtle snarl at me. I don't remember his name—I can't find my way around elvish names to save my life—but I remember what he said: _"Uuma ma' ten' rashwe, ta tuluva a' lle."_ Tauriel wasn't sure if it was a threat or not, but translated it as: _"Don't look for trouble, it will come to you." _Dung. That's what I've named that elf, in my head. It's the color of his hair. Or maybe I picked it because he always looks like he's smelled something awful.

The deep cut in my leg is singing to me, softly wondering if I am going to give it medical attention, and when I shift again to say 'no', it starts whining. And screeching. And then screams with such a sharp pain that I start to wonder if everyone else can hear the nerves' adamant demands.

The skin won't close up, which becomes a problem when it gets wet, but the cold is what really frustrates the tear in my thigh. Goosebumps are not my friend.

I am doing my best not to groan, but I can see that Thranduil has ended the first act of his one-elf show only to begin another. I settle for a very soft sigh, wondering if Tauriel will notice that my sign for discomfort is the hand I'm reaching up for her fingers with.

I have been very careful about physical contact with Tauriel while here, knowing that elves are very attentive to that sort of thing, but I'm more afraid of collapsing in Thranduil's throne-room than I am of making a social indiscretion. She seems to notice the action, but is sending Dung a scowl and they are having a face-off with stern expressions. A _face-off_. _Oh, Kili_, I tell myself, _you're hilarious_.

I can't help it now, the pain in my leg has become so harsh that my lower back is beginning to whine about it, and I shift again and try not to grimace.

This time, Tauriel sees and she sends me a sympathetic look before squeezing my hand in, what I'm assuming, is a reassurance that she understands the message I'm sending her. Mahal, I hope that's what it meant…

"My lord," She says as Thranduil is in mid-sentence. "I apologize, but my companion and I are weary from travel and hope that you will excuse us as we take rest. Perhaps we can continue this on the morn?"

He frowns at her and I think that he is looking at me when he finally nods and waves us away. I can hear Dung murmuring something about propriety, but I am busy trying to move without falling over. I start to feel a little hopeful, knowing there is a soft bed waiting for me at the end of our stroll, but then a wave of nausea hits me when I've made it three steps away from the King's throne-room.

Stairs. Oh, Mahal, give me Erebor any day—at least those just run up and down! But these elves are obsessed with the idea of flowing alongside nature, and that means stairs built like a snake.

I start to sweat and then I notice Tauriel is offering her arm to me. _Oh, I could kiss you…_

"Better than my carrying you pig-a-back for all to see." She says with a lopsided smile. I adore that smile. Suddenly, that idea of kissing her is almost irresistible, but I remember that Dung is following us with his eyes and I decide to save Tauriel from further persecution.

I call up my best Thranduil voice, "Indeed."

This causes her to laugh and I grunt as we make it down the stairs. I might not have had the opportunity to talk to Thranduil, but I console myself with making Tauriel laugh, and _that_ is the best treasure.

We are almost to the guest rooms when I finally feel like we're not being followed anymore. I glance around quickly before I throw an arm around Tauriel's waist, the other hand pressing against the back of her neck, and pull her down for a long, firm kiss. The taste of her mouth is so familiar to me that I find myself hungry for her kisses quite often and being deprived of them while we've been in Mirkwood has made me a deeper kind of ravenous.

"Coming in?" I incline my head to the room I've been given, just down the hall from hers.

"If you want me to tend to your leg, then I have to." Tauriel says with a wrinkled brow, clearly not understanding what I meant.

I clear my throat, wondering if she needs a moment before she gets the idea…

But I'm tired and I just escaped Thranduil's one-actor opera, so I'm not interested in playing with words and get right to the point. "Melamim, will you stay with me tonight?" I ask, capturing a lock of her hair and twining it around my index finger, knowing how fond she is of my calling her 'beloved' in her own tongue.

I expect her to hesitate, to say something about the eyes around every corner, or about how I should be resting up from our time on the road… but she doesn't.

Tauriel smiles widely at me and lowers her head to kiss me, inserting a playful tongue past my surprised lips. Apparently, I'm not alone in my physical famine.

"Rwalaer," she laughs into my lips, her breath warming me from the toes and upward. _Lusty one._ Suddenly, the pain in my leg is not unbearable anymore. No goosebumps when my body has become consumed by flames.

She grasps my hand and tugs me into the room, slamming the door shut behind us and I find myself not caring if anyone saw us go in together.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

**Want a **Kili and OC **humorous parody? **Try HOW TO WRECK A MARY SUE****

**Kili and Danika are tired of being pushed around in fan fiction stories and make a pact to defy writer's prompts, but do they have any idea what will happen if they don't play by the rules? Guest appearances from Luna Lovegood, The Doctor, Sherlock, and others!**

**.**

**Want some Fili/OC romance/adventure? Try GOLD AND FIRE**

**Fili and Princess Nur of the Iron Hills marry in secret just before he leaves for Erebor, but what is a lonely wife to do while her husband is braving life and death for their future? Covers the Battle of Five Armies and afterward. ****Explanations for some of the actions within the movies as well as some behind the scenes! A sequel to GEMS AND POISON- the first big adventure of Fili and Kili!**

**.**

**Want some Thorin/OC romance/angst? **Try JEWELS AND DAGGERS****

**Just as Thorin becomes engaged to be married, the dragon attacks Erebor and all is thrown into chaos! Thieving men take captive some of the wandering dwarves- will Thorin, Frerin, and Dwalin be able to rescue the enslaved dwarves, including Runa, Thorin's beloved?**


	5. Broken Nose I

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**STARS AND HAMMERS**

_**Broken Nose- Part I**_

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><p>"<em>First Defeat" Noah Gundersen<em>

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><p>"This is my fault," Bilbo groaned beside Kili as they followed Tauriel out of the front gates of Mirkwood. Kili only laughed, but Tauriel did not look amused.<p>

"How in the world is it _your_ fault that we've been thrown out?" Kili smiled at him, nudging his shoulder. "If the elves are determined to take offense to everything—"

"Because I had to go and make that silly comment." Bilbo shook his head, gripping his walking stick and gazing before them at the dark forest. "That's what set this whole mess spinning."

"Bilbo," The dwarf prince rolled his eyes, glancing at Tauriel for support but she looked forward and ignored him. "They were all wound up so tight that it would have happened no matter _who_ set it off. You just helped things move a lot quicker."

"And earned you a broken nose in the process." Bilbo grimaced, peeking at Kili's nose from the corner of his eye.

"We'll call it recompense for muddying the carpet in your home," Kili winked.

"And stopping up my plumbing." The hobbit added with a raised finger.

"And emptying the pantry." They both said together with a small amount of laughter and Bilbo chanced a look at Tauriel, but still she did not look back at them.

"I'm sorry, Tauriel." The hobbit ducked his head, hoping she wasn't too angry with him.

"Mr. Baggins, this is not your fault, as Kili said before."

"See? Thank you," The dwarf said, waving his hand at Tauriel.

"It's _his_." Tauriel said as she inclined her head at the archer, striding forward on the dirt path without pause.

"_My_ fault?" The incredulous dwarf crossed his arms, stopping where he was. "I defended you!"

Bilbo coughed into his hand, hoping he wasn't going to be standing in the middle of a lover's quarrel, when Tauriel halted and turned to face them with a look of frustration—but as she looked back and forth between Bilbo and Kili, the look softened.

"I'm sorry," She whispered, hands clenching and unclenching at her sides as she let out a long breath. "Forgive me."

Bilbo could see that she wanted to say more, but that she was having trouble finding the words—the elf had just been told to leave her home and never come back, told that her future husband would never be allowed permission to enter that land, and that her descendants would never find welcome there. Tauriel had _every_ right to be upset. But Bilbo still felt somewhat responsible for her predicament and silently promised himself that if he had some way of making it up to her, he would!

"We need to keep moving, it will be dark soon." Tauriel said as she turned on her heel and continued through the forest.

* * *

><p>"<em>Fallout" Linkin Park<em>

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><p><em>Earlier that morning…<em>

Bilbo rubbed a tired hand over the back of his neck as he stepped out of his Mirkwood guest-room. There was an elf sitting outside of his door with a book.

"Master Hobbit," The elf rose to stand, setting the book down on the chair. "I came to fetch you for breakfast, but you did not answer and I did not want to disturb you—"

"I'm so sorry," Bilbo automatically apologized, still trying to get a feel for proper elf-etiquette. But Mori, as Bilbo remembered the elf's name to be, only shook his head and smiled as though no apology were necessary. "I didn't sleep well—your celebrations were a bit loud last night."

Mori raised an eyebrow at the hobbit. "Loud? We celebrated nothing yesterday…"

"Then what was all that laughing?" Bilbo wondered aloud, rubbing the sleep from his eyes.

Mori's hands twitched at his sides and he inclined his head toward the guest room beside Bilbo's, the brown-colored long hair draping in front of his shoulder. "Laughing? The only other persons in these quarters are…" The elf's eyes narrowed at Kili's door and he took a tentative step forward, touching the handle for a moment as though he were considering opening it.

Bilbo's eyes went wide. "No, wait—I'm sorry, I must have been mistaken—you were saying something about breakfast?"

But the door was already ajar ever-so-slightly and even through the slit of it, Bilbo caught a peek into the room—there in the bed lay a sleeping Kili… and Tauriel.

Bilbo gulped. "Mori… er, breakfast?"

Closing the door quietly, Mori nodded with a clenched jaw. Bilbo could not read the strained expression on the elf's face, but he realized he'd inadvertently advertised Kili and Tauriel's relationship as being more than they'd let on…

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><p>"<em>Pistols at Dawn" Seinabo Sey<em>

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><p>Kili had woken up alone, but that was not surprising to him—he knew Tauriel wasn't ready to declare the depth of their relationship, yet, and that she'd probably snuck back into her own room earlier. When he had dressed and tapped softly at her door, he pushed it open and found it empty. It wouldn't have bothered him, except that now he would be roaming the elven-halls without a guide. Well, there was nothing for it—he picked a path and hoped it led somewhere he wanted to go.<p>

However, Kili knew he was lost as soon as the hallway started becoming darker. His ears picked up the sound of a heated conversation and he was conflicted on whether or not to continue forward and ask for directions or respect the privacy of the talkers and turn back. But the decision was made for him when a few clear words stuck out.

"…with yourself? …parents would be disgusted." One said.

"Of course it would be a silvan." Another said.

Kili's brows drew together. A silvan? Kili remembered that Tauriel was a silvan elf—recalling that the high-elves considered them a lesser race of elves and looked down on them.

"Forget her deceased parents," A third male spoke. "The one who took her in would be disgusted! Maybe she has forgotten all King Thranduil has done for her?"

_The one who took her in? King Thranduil…They're talking about Tauriel._

_Tauriel._ Kili's brain clicked the pieces together and he hurried to the end of the hallway, peering around a corner and into a room where three male elves towered above his beloved in height. There was no bold defiance on her face as she stared at the ground, eyes blank and lips pressed into a line.

_She's just standing there and taking it_. Kili scowled in the doorway, feeling his anger rise. _She's just going to let them—_

"The royal line of the dwarves, the sons of Durin, must be desperate for an infusion of superior blood." Said sneering Mori—the elf whom Kili had previously re-named Dung— and Kili was almost panting with rage as Mori stepped closer to Tauriel, sinking a thin hand into her hair and pulling out from its curtain a braid. The courting braid! Kili had given it to her only last night after their amorous meeting in his room. Mori and his companions laughed, still oblivious to Kili's presence.

"And though you might be the lowest of our race, it would be an improvement in their breeding." Mori added with a jeer as he ripped out the engraved clasp at the end, sending the silver metal to the floor with a clinking sound. A guttural growl rose out of Kili's throat and his innards tensed as adrenaline flowed through him. His hands curled into tight fists and his arms surged with a lust for the elf's harm.

"_Khazad ai men!_" Kili shouted as he sprang forward, plowing into the startled brown-haired elf, who tried to fight back with blows to the dwarf's face. But Kili barely felt Mori strike him—his body was running on too much fury to make sense of pain—and pinned the elf to the ground, screaming as he threw his rounded fists at Mori's face one after the other!

One of Mori's companions rushed at Kili, pulling him off of Mori's heaving torso, but the dwarf turned on the elf and lashed out, sending him thudding into the wall while the other one ran from the room.

"Kili, stop!" Tauriel pleaded.

It was pulsing through him, the barely-contained anger that was turning his insides solid and setting his chest aflame, when Mori raised his head and locked eyes with Kili.

"_Le fuion_!" Mori spat from where he lay, snarling at the dwarf who knew enough Sindarin to translate the elf's words—_you disgust me_.

Panting with rage, Kili came to stand over Mori and lifted his foot up above Mori's ribs. "Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul!"

"Kili, no!" Tauriel shouted, but it was already too late.

A heavy, dwarven boot came crashing down on Mori's chest, contorting the elf's face in pain as it made a twisting motion—the squeak and crack of several ribs was heard while Kili spat on the unmoving face of the elf below him.

* * *

><p>"<em>Twice" Little Dragon<em>

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><p>Tauriel watched in horror as Kili succumbed to his violent temper, his foot bearing down to crush Mori's ribs as the elf squirmed beneath him. Mori cried out, the shriek of pain dying down when his closed eyes took him away from the waking world. Looking up from his vanquished foe Kili met Tauriel's eyes as she stumbled backward, shaken by his terrifying image.<p>

The brown-eyed dwarf's face was spattered with blood—his and Mori's—and his nose pointed awkwardly to the right. Hands stained red, knuckles torn, and the rage that bent his lip back in a snarl made him almost unrecognizable to Tauriel.

Recognition of her dismay caused his face to soften into shock, holding his hands out to her as though he thought she might run away in fear.

"_Gajut men_," Kili said softly, weakly as he took a slow step toward her, hands up to show her he meant no harm. He looked down at the barely breathing body of Mori and up at her again. "_Gajut men_."

_Forgive me_, he was asking. Not asking—pleading.

"Kili…" Tauriel had no words beyond the breathy utterance of his name and she sank to her knees on the carpeted floor. _What have you done? _He closed the distance between them, but he seemed hesitant to touch her, looking at his hands and suddenly realizing just how much blood he was covered in.

"_Kahomhîlizu_," Kili whispered, the shock still heavy on his mind, heavy enough that his words only came to him in Khuzdul. "_Kahomhîlizu_,_ gajut men…"_

_Please, forgive me…_

Tauriel pulled him forward before he could back away from her, taking him in her arms and waiting until his arms relaxed. He groaned in objection, knowing he was covered in filth, but she shushed him. The blood on his hands didn't bother her so much as the wild expression of anger had, and even more than that, the look of regret he wore when he realized he'd unleashed his temper.

"_Men Lananubukhs menu,"_ Kili whispered as his hands hesitantly hovered at her back and his forehead pressed into the crook of her neck. "_Menu tessu, menu sigim bundul_."

_I love you. You're everything, you're greater than words._

What he said made her heart ache and Tauriel pulled him closer to her, understanding that he was soothing away the insults the other elves had thrown at her. She felt him playing with her hair, searching frantically for the courting braid, and he sighed in relief when he felt it.

"The clasp," Tauriel gasped, eyes roaming the floor for the silver trinket. "I don't know where it went."

"Not worried about it," He said, recovering from being out of breath. "Did they hurt you?"

Tauriel shook her head. "Kili, your face… how much of that blood is yours?" She moaned, touching his jawbone and forehead delicately with both of her hands.

Though he winced at her touch, he shook his head to indicate that even he didn't know. "What do we do about them?" Inclining his head toward the two unconscious elves, Kili's lip curled into a sneer.

"I don't know," Tauriel said, rising to her feet. "But we need to clean you up—if King Thranduil finds out about them and sees you like this…"

.

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><p><strong>.<strong>

**.**

_Translations:_

_Khazad ai menu! – the dwarves are upon you!_

_Le fuion—you disgust me_

_Ishkhaqwi ai durugnul - I spit upon your grave_

_Gajut men – forgive me_

_Men Lananubukhs menu – I love you_

_Menu tessu – you're everything_

_Menu sigim bundul – you are greater than words_

_Kahomhilizu – please_

_._

**Want a **Kili and OC **humorous parody? **Try HOW TO WRECK A MARY SUE****

**Kili and Danika are tired of being pushed around in fan fiction stories and make a pact to defy writer's prompts, but do they have any idea what will happen if they don't play by the rules? Guest appearances from Luna Lovegood, The Doctor, Sherlock, and others!**

**.**

**Want some Fili/OC romance/adventure? Try GOLD AND FIRE**

**Fili and Princess Nur of the Iron Hills marry in secret just before he leaves for Erebor, but what is a lonely wife to do while her husband is braving life and death for their future? Covers the Battle of Five Armies and afterward. ****Explanations for some of the actions within the movies as well as some behind the scenes! A sequel to GEMS AND POISON- the first big adventure of Fili and Kili!**

**.**

**Want some Thorin/OC romance/angst? **Try JEWELS AND DAGGERS****

**Just as Thorin becomes engaged to be married, the dragon attacks Erebor and all is thrown into chaos! Thieving men take captive some of the wandering dwarves- will Thorin, Frerin, and Dwalin be able to rescue the enslaved dwarves, including Runa, Thorin's beloved?**


	6. Broken Nose II

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**STARS AND HAMMERS**

_**Broken Nose – Part II**_

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><p>"<em>Fuel to Fire" Agnes Obel<em>

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><p>Kili didn't understand why it was so important to Tauriel that he be washed up and tended to so quickly, but after she had guided him stealthily through the winding pathway to his room he caught a glimpse of himself in a looking glass and praised her wisdom. He looked as though he'd just brutally murdered someone…<p>

"Boots." The elf pointed at his footwear and Kili nearly tripped himself over in getting them off. She shook her head at his clumsiness, but said nothing beyond that, an impassive expression keeping her features stony.

A quick look at the front of his tunic made Kili sigh in frustration and he grunted as he undressed, the previously easy-to-ignore soreness from being hit coming to the forefront of his mind, and the slight bruising was already appearing on his waist and chest. As soon as he had changed into another pair of trousers, he stood bare-chested in front of the kneeling Tauriel, who laid a bowl of warm water on the ground beside her and held a cloth in her hands.

Touching the wet cloth to the blood at his neck, Tauriel began wiping it away, eyes focused on the skin as she cleaned it. Kili did not bother to keep from staring at her face, patiently allowing himself to be fussed over and trying to guess at her thoughts, but once his hands were clean he raised her hand to his lips and kissed the smooth skin on her knuckles.

"I'm sorry." He murmured into her fingers. "I couldn't let them speak like that about you. About us."

For a moment, her eyes met his and she spared him a small smile and a blush, her thumb rubbing against his hand as it gripped hers, but then a wall went up behind her eyes and Tauriel continued her endeavors to scrub him. Hissing as the cloth came to his face, Kili grabbed her wrist to stop her from hurting him further.

"I know you're angry with me, but please, be gentle." He groaned as he let go of her arm.

"Kili, your nose..." Tauriel sent him a sympathetic look. "I might have to—"

"Do it." Kili grimaced, knowing from how badly it stung that it was broken. "Just be quick."

"I'm sorry," She whispered, placing her thumbs on either side of the bridge of his nose and taking in a deep breath. In a quick, sharp motion, she jerked the flesh back into place, causing it to make a sickening sound. A jagged wail erupted from Kili's chest and he likened the sensation to having someone stab him between the eyes.

"Mahal." He moaned, eyes watering. Though it had been set, his nose still throbbed and he barely noticed the cloth cleaning away the rest of the grime on his face. It took almost all of his willpower not to sob at the aching that pulsed through his face.

"I would just as soon help you wash up with a bath, but this will have to do." Tauriel said in an obvious effort to distract him, but Kili passed up his opportunity to make a joke, gritting his teeth and focusing on his breathing.

"Why are you so angry with me?" He asked in a shuddering voice.

Tauriel's hands dropped to her lap as she sat back on her kneeling legs. "That would have hurt no matter how tender I—"

"You know I'm not talking about this," Kili pointed at his nose, which was throbbing less and less, "I can see you're not saying something. This wasn't just about defending your honor, was it?"

"No," Tauriel sighed, rising to her feet and wiping her hands. "Erebor is not the only kingdom housing prejudice— There are elves in Mirkwood stubborn enough not to accept the presence of dwarves here, especially under peaceful conditions—and Mori is one of them. He was looking for a fight, looking for one of us to be the first to strike out. If _we_ were the ones to initiate a fight, it would be grounds to expel us from the King's presence."

Kili's heart dropped as his mind put together the facts. Tauriel had been standing so still and so patiently while the three elves attempted to goad her, but it had taken so little prompting to entice Kili to lash out at them.

As Tauriel went about gathering the bloodied clothes and pressing them into the bowl of water, Kili lowered himself to the ground, cross-legged, and took his hands in his face. "I'm so thoughtless, I played right into their hands." He half-expected her to speak words of comfort to him, but was met with silence instead.

A knock at the door startled them both. "Erm, Kili, I don't mean to interrupt—"

"Come in, Bilbo, we're decent." Kili called to the hobbit. Tauriel snorted at the word "decent".

"I didn't see either of you at the—" Bilbo's eyes widened as he stepped through the door and caught a good look at Kili's state. The dwarf looked down at himself and realized he was still shirtless, bare skin exposing pink irritation and rounded, purple blotches beginning to appear like patchwork over his torso.

"Do I want to know what happened?" The hobbit moaned as Tauriel threw Kili a clean shirt. The dwarf caught it and Bilbo turned as if to leave. "Or is it better that I walk out of here and pretend I didn't see—?"

"If your things are not already packed, Master Baggins," Tauriel stood beside the sitting dwarf with her arms crossed, "I would suggest you gather them immediately."

Mr. Baggins nodded solemnly, sending Kili a sympathetic look before he disappeared from the room.

"Tauriel," Kili rose to his feet, wobbling slightly when his head began to spin mildly. "I know that elves don't see things the same way dwarves do, so you have to tell me what to do to make this right. I'll do whatever needs—"

"That would not be wise." Tauriel interrupted. Her tone cut Kili to the core and for a moment, bitterness pinched at his innards, wondering if she meant that he wasn't capable of fixing the situation because he was out of control, reckless, or brutish—but then the stony guard of her face relaxed into something sad and she must have realized his response. "A dwarf justifying himself to an elf-king will not sit well with Thranduil's subjects—but an elf speaking to another elf _might_ cause him, and them, to act reasonably."

Kili sighed, partly in relief and partly in helplessness—if something like this had happened in Erebor, the mere mention of someone touching the clasp of a courting braid would be grounds for punishment, let alone the awful words spoken to his beloved. But here…

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><p>"<em>Clear Blue Sky" Skylar Grey<em>

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><p>Bilbo stood beside Tauriel and Kili before King Thranduil in the throne-room, listening to the account of all that had happened between them, Mori, and Mori's companions—only one of which was in a condition to stand across from them, as the others had been taken to the healer's quarters.<p>

As the hobbit listened to the tale, he couldn't help but feel guilty about the comment to Mori that had set the events in motion—his mention of the laughter the night before, causing Mori to be curious.

At the mention of Mori's forceful removal of Tauriel's courtship clasp, the elf-King looked somewhat affected, but Bilbo could not determine if it played on some romantic sentiment in the King's heart or if it was a shock in learning just how committed the dwarf prince and red-haired elf were to each other.

"Leave us," Thranduil waved his hand at the witness against them, descending the steps from his throne as Mori's friend disappeared from sight. Coming to stand directly in front of Tauriel, Thranduil bowed his head low.

"It seems murderous intent has followed you from the Lonely Mountain." The elf-King sighed. Bilbo wondered if the comment was directed at Kili, but then began to realize it was actually in reference to the attempt on Tauriel's life. She'd been poisoned, Bilbo remembered…

"I will not allow the goodwill between our two peoples to be affected by this," Thranduil took a slow step in front of Kili, keeping his arms behind his back as he scanned the dwarf's visible injuries. "But in order to care for that fragile peace, I must do what is necessary to appease my own people."

"What would you have me do?" Kili asked nervously.

"Leave Mirkwood." Thranduil said simply. This had been the first time, Bilbo thought with irony, that he heard the King give a brief answer when a longer one would have been more appropriate. Kili nodded, biting back whatever comment was on the tip of his tongue.

"The dwarves may find us another emissary and we will continue to trade with them, but I cannot allow _you_ to return. Our laws would not be merciful to you if you stayed." Thranduil raised his chin. "It is for your own safety that I do this." He turned his head to look at Tauriel. "And yours."

"Then we are banished?" Tauriel's jaw dropped.

"Ever have I guarded you from the dangers of the world, giving you refuge within these walls—but now the threat, for you, is _inside_ those same walls." Thranduil spoke in a low tone. "I press the patience of my subjects by asking them to accept a treaty with the King of Erebor, I cannot press it further by telling them to endure a match between one of their own and—" Thranduil's eyes darted to Kili before returning to Tauriel's, "—those they naturally find replusive."

Bilbo was certain he heard a low growl rumbling in Kili's throat, but Thranduil did not seem to take notice. Thranduil's eyes became soft and his brows turned up so that the hobbit was convinced that Thranduil was not speaking now as a King, but as a father-figure.

"I do this for you and yours—leave in peace and do not come back, you or him…. or your offspring."

Tauriel's mask of indifference finally broke, and she looked crushed by an invisible blow, but the King turned away quickly and dismissed them. Though the King's actions could be considered calloused, even harsh, the hobbit was beginning to understand the elf a little more. This was not the bearing of an arrogant, greedy, selfish tyrant—these were the proofs that the high-elf had lived too long and seen too much grief. A lifetime of happiness and sorrows was enough for Bilbo, but to have lived through hundreds of lifetimes, even a thousand—! No, these were not the fists of an angry dictator, these were the burdened shoulders of a soul who guarded himself from further hurt.

"As you wish," Tauriel whispered, her features plain with shock and pain. Kili looked as though he wanted to take her hand, wanted to guide her from the room and begin their departure, but the dwarf also looked hesitant, as if he were weighing whether or not she resented him for their sudden banishment. She looked down at him, taking up the hand that tentatively reached for hers, and they all made their way back to the guest-quarters.

* * *

><p>"<em>You're the One That I Want" Lo-Fang<em>

* * *

><p>"This is my fault," Tauriel heard Bilbo say as they emerged from the front gates of Mirkwood and Kili chuckled at this, but Tauriel knew it was false laughter. She knew him well enough to know he was trying to lift Bilbo's spirits. They all strode forward, Tauriel in the lead along the dirt path leading around the less dangerous edges of Mirkwood forest.<p>

"How in the world is it _your_ fault that we've been thrown out?" He said. "If the elves are determined to take offense to everything—"

"Because I had to go and make that silly comment. That's what set this whole mess spinning."

"Bilbo," Kili said, and Tauriel could feel her lover's eyes on her back, but she made no effort to look at them and he took that as his cue to continue. "They were all wound up so tight that it would have happened no matter _who_ set it off. You just helped things move a lot quicker."

This was true—the elves of Mirkwood had become accustomed to existing within their walls and did not like to be inconvenienced by outsiders. Had she really convinced herself that she could go back and flaunt her relations with the dwarf, forcing them to accept the pair?

"I'm sorry, Tauriel." Bilbo's voice cut through her thoughts.

"Mr. Baggins," Tauriel almost smiled. "This is not your fault, as Kili said before."

"See? Thank you," She heard Kili say.

"It's _his_." She said, without missing a beat, half-meaning it in humor, but the bitter part of her accepting that it was true. Apparently, it hadn't dawned on Kili that it was a tentative joke.

"_My_ fault?" Kili said with a hint of frustration, stopping in his tracks. "I defended you!"

Tauriel stopped, knowing she could not go on like this. Turning slowly to face them, Tauriel did her best to read their expressions. Bilbo clearly wanted to stay out of it, obviously uncomfortable with being in the middle of what he sensed to be a conflict. But it wasn't really a conflict—there were so many things Tauriel wanted to say, so many reassurances she wanted to give them, but they would have to wait until she had put together better words than the ones she was mulling on.

"I'm sorry," She whispered, knowing that at least an apology was owed to both of them. "Forgive me." Tauriel added, knowing how demanding it sounded and hoping that Kili at least could detect the pleading in her voice as the same tone _he'd_ used earlier. "We need to keep moving, it will be dark soon."

Looking one last time into the eyes of the dwarf she loved more than any other, she saw him nod as he deciphered what she really meant: _We'll talk later. I'm thinking._

Threading around the edges of the dark forest, Tauriel led them to an area previously known to be safe from spider attacks and they set up a fire and laid out their bedrolls. Thranduil had sent their horses and provisions ahead, his one last act of grace toward them, so that their beasts of burden would not have to endure the harshness of the path they were taking.

Lying down on his bedroll beside the fire, Bilbo fell asleep almost immediately—though he might have been pretending, and Tauriel guessed that it was to give them the illusion of privacy. No one should be left on their own in the dark forest, and finding a place for discrete conversation was not compatible with that rule.

"Tell me." Kili muttered as he sharpened a knife beside the fire, the glow of the flames lighting up his face and highlighted his unhappy features. "Tell me you hate me."

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><p>"<em>All of Me" John Legend<em>

* * *

><p>Tauriel's eyes widened. "<em>Hate<em> you? Kili, I don't hate you." She came to sit cross-legged beside the dwarf who wouldn't look her in the eye.

"_I'm_ the reason you can't go back to your homeland." He grumbled, shoving the sharpening stone hastily over the small blade.

"Look at me." Tauriel demanded, understanding the guilt that was eating at him and guessing at the dark trail of thoughts he must be listening to. Raising his head from the stone and the knife, Kili's brows hung low and he looked angry—but Tauriel knew it wasn't directed at her. She slipped a hand against his jawline and cupped the back of his head with the other hand, ducking her head and pressing a very firm kiss to his surprised lips and enjoying the thrill she felt when he groaned into her mouth.

"_Men Lananubukhs menu._" Tauriel whispered. "Do you believe me?"

Kili's face was somewhere between incredulous and grateful. "Yes."

"I am _not_ angry with you." She spoke softly with a grin. "How could I be? I was being threatened and you protected me. Even a female such as I cannot overlook such a chivalrous act."

Strongly affected by the wetness she saw in Kili's beautiful, brown eyes, she did nothing to stop her own tears. "I am not angry with you." She repeated. "I am disappointed in my kin."

Kili looked so overwhelmed to know he was not the reason for her mood that it broke Tauriel's heart and she pressed her palm to his hand. The sharpening stone and dagger were forgotten quickly and landed on the forest floor beside Kili's knee as he gripped her strongly with gratitude and relief. He sniffed, his eyes focused so intently on her, and he murmured an apology for her sadness.

Tauriel bit her lip. "I expected more from them—we who are so long-lived and called wise, but are incapable of embracing the changing world around us." She knew the floodgates of her heart had been opened. "It is despicable to me that they _could_ help those around them so much, but they choose to look inward, to act only on what serves them best. And I am ashamed that I lived among them for so long without seeing it as clearly as I do now."

Shaking her head, Tauriel smiled widely at Kili. "I am not angry with you—you, who have declared affection to me after knowing me for so short a time; you, who have defended me from sword and from word with a loyalty I feel I don't deserve; you, who are understanding and caring and—"

Warm, firm lips caught hers before she could speak on and a pair of searing hands gathered around her waist and pulled her closer to him. She knew from his closeness and his desperate movements that if Bilbo had not been there, Kili would have gone further than scorching kisses, but she smiled into his lips and murmured her approval of him all the same.

"Rwalaer," She purred at him, reluctantly pulling his hands away from their travels to her backside.

"If you're not careful, that might become my pet name," Kili snorted, resting his forehead on her collarbone to gather his wits. "And anyone able to understand Khuzdul will be blushing redder than that robe Thranduil was wearing."

Tauriel barked out a laugh, but then scolded herself, remembering the "sleeping" hobbit across from the fire.

"Hae ephadron their thaur," She whispered into Kili's hair as he pressed his nose to her neck, his measured breathing an obvious attempt to calm what excitement Tauriel had accidentally incited. The words were from a song during their early attempts to teach the dwarf Sindarin—he'd become so frustrated at one point that he'd created his own harmony, sung in his own language.

"Imri zaiza," Kili whispered back in recollection as he smiled contentedly, arms wound tightly around her waist and the side of his face pressed on her shoulder. "I love you."

.

.

* * *

><p><strong>.<strong>

.

_Translations:_

_Men Lananubukhs menu – I love you_

_Rwalaer – Lusty one_

_Hae ephadron their thaur – I go walking beyond the forest_

_Imri zaiza – Take me with you_

_._

**Want a **Kili and OC **humorous parody? **Try HOW TO WRECK A MARY SUE****

**Kili and Danika are tired of being pushed around in fan fiction stories and make a pact to defy writer's prompts, but do they have any idea what will happen if they don't play by the rules? Guest appearances from Luna Lovegood, The Doctor, Sherlock, and others!**

**.**

**Want some Fili/OC romance/adventure? Try GOLD AND FIRE**

**Fili and Princess Nur of the Iron Hills marry in secret just before he leaves for Erebor, but what is a lonely wife to do while her husband is braving life and death for their future? Covers the Battle of Five Armies and afterward. ****Explanations for some of the actions within the movies as well as some behind the scenes! A sequel to GEMS AND POISON- the first big adventure of Fili and Kili!**

**.**

**Want some Thorin/OC romance/angst? **Try JEWELS AND DAGGERS****

**Just as Thorin becomes engaged to be married, the dragon attacks Erebor and all is thrown into chaos! Thieving men take captive some of the wandering dwarves- will Thorin, Frerin, and Dwalin be able to rescue the enslaved dwarves, including Runa, Thorin's beloved?**


	7. Trouble in the Misty Mountains

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**STARS AND HAMMERS**

_**Chapter 6 – Trouble in the Misty Mountains**_

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* * *

><p>"<em>The Black Rider" The Lord of the Rings: Fellowship of the Ring Soundtrack<em>

* * *

><p>"Run!" Kili cried, waving his hands at his companions as he flew toward them on quick feet. Bilbo and Tauriel were further up the path and turned to look at him, horror filling their eyes as they realized what it was that pursued him. Goblins!<p>

"What did you _do_?" Tauriel shouted angrily at Kili while she and Bilbo sprinted forward.

"I didn't do anything!" Kili said defensively, glancing over his shoulder at the hoard of goblins skittering along the path after them, illuminated eerily by the moon. "I was searching a cave for a mountain flower—"

"A cave?" Tauriel sneered as she gracefully jumped over a rock in her way. "You might as well have _invited_ them to chase after us!"

Kili was about to unsheathe his sword when the ground came up at him and knocked against his head, plunging him into darkness and battering his body.

When he came to his senses again, Kili looked up from where he lay and realized he'd fallen into a hole, a cavern beneath the ground from where they had been running. The light of the moon peered through the hole and the dwarf moaned as he tried unsuccessfully to raise himself from the rocky surface under his back.

"Kili!" He heard Tauriel call down to him, but he also heard the claws of goblins scraping against the surface above them.

"Tauriel, run!" Kili desperately croaked at her, but the she-elf stood protectively in front of the hole, drawing out her bow and loosing arrows at the ugly creatures in the distance.

"Hide yourself, Mr. Baggins!" She called to the hobbit, drawing another arrow from her quiver. Kili was relieved—Bilbo could certainly make himself scarce when he wanted to!—and then a chilling sharpness ran through his chest as the disfigured goblins come close enough for Tauriel to use her twin daggers.

Immediately grabbing for the dwarven bow that had fallen beside him—blessedly undamaged!—he reached for his own arrows and sent cover fire from where he lay. Mahal, he might have gone down, but he would fight for his lass while he still had breath!

The goblins caught sight of the dwarf in the cavern below and began flinging rocks at him, but Tauriel was quick and disposed of them easily.

Even so, it was one of these rocks that claimed the last moments of Kili's consciousness…

* * *

><p>"<em>Cold Kind Hand" The Paper Kites<em>

* * *

><p>After Tauriel had subdued their foes—less than Tauriel originally thought—she called out to Bilbo, hoping the hobbit had not been struck down, but had found a place to hide away.<p>

"I'm here." Came his small voice from behind a boulder. "Where's Kili?"

Tauriel instantly dropped to her knees, peering into the hole and catching sight of the fallen dwarf. "Melamin, are you hurt?"

Her heart fluttered when there was no answer and she looked from the hole to the hobbit, trying to sort out whether or not it was safe to leave the hobbit alone on the surface while she descended to help Kili.

"Don't waste time worrying about me," Bilbo seemed to understand her thoughts. "The sun is on the rise—I don't think we'll be seeing anymore goblins until tomorrow night." And then he blew out a breath and added, "And hopefully not then, either."

"Thank you, Mr. Baggins," Tauriel smiled gratefully at him.

"For the last time—Bilbo, just Bilbo." He shook his head at her, accepting her gear as she handed it to him.

Lowering herself past the jagged lip of the cavern, the she-elf dangled a few feet above the floor and dropped, the sound echoing against the walls.

"Kili?" She called to him again, stepping over to kneel beside him as he lay on his back with closed eyes. His cheek was scraped, probably from the lip of the underground cave, and blood spilled from the left side of his forehead where a goblin had struck him with a rock.

"Why is it always your head?" Tauriel groaned at him, smoothing a hand over his hair and bending to kiss his nose—the only part of him not covered in dirt or blood. It took a few tries and a lot of work, but eventually they had managed to lift the unconscious dwarf through the hole and over the ground on the surface. Heaving from exertion, Bilbo wiped his hand over his forehead.

"Just be glad he isn't Bombur," The hobbit said, but the joke was lost on Tauriel and she looked at him quizzically. "He's the large fellow with the braid across his chest."

"Oh," Tauriel's eyes went wide. "Yes, I'm very grateful not to have lifted _that_ dwarf."

As Tauriel worked over her beloved to assess his injuries, Bilbo stood nearby and continued to speak. His chatter was beginning to unnerve the elf, but she realized it was a product of worry. Bilbo didn't know how to help at this point and was busying himself with his own words.

"We had to remove Bombur from a river, once," the hobbit muttered as he nervously looked down at his unmoving friend. "Even had to make a litter to carry him along the paths of that enchanted forest. Fili and Kili fell in to that river, too, but they weren't half as soaked as that ginger dwarf was."

Despite the circumstances, Tauriel couldn't stop the small quirk of her lips when she remembered what Bilbo referred to.

"I remember," She breathed, looking down sadly at her lover's peaceful face. Those paths had been where she met him for the first time. "Oh, Kili…" Running a few fingers along his scruffy jawline, she breathed out a sigh. "Please, wake up."

"Do you think one of us should leave to find help?" The hobbit fiddled with the edges of his jacket.

They weren't far from Rivendell, there must be an outpost… But who to send? Tauriel would be the better defender if the dwarf was attacked, but she would also be the swifter in reaching an outpost… This was an inner conflict Bilbo seemed to understand, but he made no offer for either option, waiting patiently for the elf to answer him.

"Can you hide him away?" Tauriel closed her eyes and took in a breath. "The way _you_ have hidden?"

"I'm…" Bilbo looked conflicted. "I'm not sure… I could try, but…"

The hobbit's face seemed to soften with sympathy as Tauriel's pleading eyes latched onto his. "Please," she said, "the fastest way for us to bring aid is for me to leave him with you, and I can't do that unless I know he's safe."

Bilbo nodded, pressing his lips into a line and looking down at Kili. "I'll see what I can manage."

* * *

><p>"<em>Landfill" Daughter<em>

* * *

><p>It was difficult for Bilbo to watch Tauriel leave after she had settled him and Kili among the trees, but the hobbit knew it couldn't be helped. Dwarves had thicker skulls than most and the head injury that could incapacitate Kili must have been bad. When the elf was gone, Bilbo leaned his head against a tree-trunk and considered what he might do next.<p>

Tauriel had said to keep Kili hidden, but she hadn't understood what she'd been asking of Bilbo. The burglar really owed his successes to the golden ring he'd found, and to share it with a companion somehow felt… wrong. Well, not wrong, but strange. Strange in a way that unsettled Bilbo all the way to his innards, and he began to make excuses for why he might keep the ring in his pocket.

Dwarvish fingers were thicker than a hobbit's, the ring wouldn't fit.

And even if it did, Bilbo wouldn't be able to find it again once the dwarf was invisible.

And even if he could, it wasn't necessary—they weren't in sight of a road and there probably wouldn't be any passers-by.

And even if there were, they would likely be peaceful travelers and not a threat at all. Who knew? They might even be able to help the dwarf!

But as the moments ticked by, Bilbo began to see the selfishness of this thinking and his sentiment for his dear friend won out—he found himself pulling out the Ring and rolling it around between his forefinger and thumb, weighing how he might slip it onto Kili's smallest finger. But when he went to pick up the dwarf's hand, he realized that the Ring had somehow become bigger and he was able to manage it onto Kili's index finger without a hitch.

Bilbo made certain to keep a firm grip on the dwarf's wrist, satisfied to find that he could still _feel _the dwarf despite not being able to see him and would be able to remove the ring when necessary. But if he had known the terrible nightmare he was unwittingly inflicting on his friend, it would have been off the dwarf's finger in an instant.

* * *

><p>"<em>Drawbar (Instrumental)" Linkin Park<em>

* * *

><p>—<em><strong>Kili—<strong>_

Have I died?

Bilbo and Tauriel were speaking to each other, but I wasn't able to answer them. And now I'm sitting up against a tree, unable to see anything but the inside of my eyelids. Something cold is sliding over my finger and I open my eyes, instantly surrounded by nothing but grey and wind.

If I wasn't dead before, I'm certainly dead now.

Everything looks ghostly, the wind howls in my ears, and I feel like I'm the only one alive.

No, something is here with me—is it Bilbo? I turn my head to look at the hobbit beside me, but he is old and grey and lifeless like everything else in this horrid nightmare. I don't want to stay here, I want to return to the world of the living, but something is keeping me here against my will.

A whisper—is that Bilbo speaking? Whomever it is, it makes me want to hide.

_You cannot hide._ It says. I jerk my head around to see where it is coming from, but I see nothing.

_I see you_. It taunts. Again, I ask myself if I'm dead.

_There is no life in the void, only death!_ And then I am approached by a figure of blackness—even the grey ghosts are not frightening compared to this specter! It seems to be sucking everything into it and I cower, trying to crawl away from it, but it fixes me in place and refuses to let me go. I don't know how I can tell, but it is looking me up and down and seems to be satisfied with what it sees.

_A son of Durin,_ it laughs. _A wielder of mithril magic!_

I don't know how I summon up the bravery, but I ask, "Who are you?"

_I am the Lord of all, _the deep rumbling voice says, no longer a whisper, but a powerful, earth-shaking tremor. _And you will bow to me._

Against my will, I am flung forward to kneel prostate before him and I howl at the betrayal of my own limbs. Mahal, what is happening?

_Your blood sings to me, I can taste the poison in it,_ the Dark One growls—if it had been a less threatening sound, I might say that it purred, but this is no cat standing before me… _My patience has been rewarded, _the dark one reaches out a hand and I shriek out when I understand that he means to touch me. Some deeper instinct says that if he touches me, I will be sucked into him and cease to exist at all! I try to resist him, but all my body can manage is a shudder.

_Your will is strong, but mine is stronger_, he bellowed above me, _and as long as you wear a ring of mine, you are the slave of Sauron._

I scream and scream, the only thing I can do when this thing is commanding my body, until I feel soft hands on my shoulders and Bilbo is tugging at me, sliding the cold thing off of my finger and the ghostly world disappears. There is color and light in our surroundings once more, but I can't stop crying out.

"Quiet down! No need for such a fuss," The hobbit says in a voice that is almost scolding, but my features must still look terrified because his brows knit together and he kneels in front of me, both hands on my shoulders. Bilbo looks as though he wants to say something, but I'm not in no condition to hear it anyway. My eyes roll into the back of my head and I feel the ground coming up at me once more…

* * *

><p><strong>.<strong>

**.**

**Want a **Kili and OC **humorous parody? **Try HOW TO WRECK A MARY SUE****

**Kili and Danika are tired of being pushed around in fan fiction stories and make a pact to defy writer's prompts, but do they have any idea what will happen if they don't play by the rules? Guest appearances from Luna Lovegood, The Doctor, Sherlock, and others!**

**.**

**Want some Fili/OC romance/adventure? Try GOLD AND FIRE**

**Fili and Princess Nur of the Iron Hills marry in secret just before he leaves for Erebor, but what is a lonely wife to do while her husband is braving life and death for their future? Covers the Battle of Five Armies and afterward. ****Explanations for some of the actions within the movies as well as some behind the scenes! A sequel to GEMS AND POISON- the first big adventure of Fili and Kili!**

**.**

**Want some Thorin/OC romance/angst? **Try JEWELS AND DAGGERS****

**Just as Thorin becomes engaged to be married, the dragon attacks Erebor and all is thrown into chaos! Thieving men take captive some of the wandering dwarves- will Thorin, Frerin, and Dwalin be able to rescue the enslaved dwarves, including Runa, Thorin's beloved?**


	8. Trouble in the Misty Mountains II

.

**STARS AND HAMMERS**

_**Trouble in the Misty Mountains II**_

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* * *

><p>-"<em>Open Your Eyes" Andrew Belle-<em>

* * *

><p>Tauriel was running her fingers through the sleeping Kili's hair when a breeze drifted through the room. Why Rivendell had to have pillars in most of the rooms instead of walls was beyond her—how could they be comfortable in the winter?—but she was happy that it was nothing like the closed-in rooms of Mirkwood. A lot of the differences between Mirkwood and Rivendell were surprising her…<p>

Kili stirred, a sleepy moan humming in his chest as he shifted his legs and nuzzled her hand with his forehead, as though seeking warmth. Despite how much she loved the sunlight pouring into the pillared room, Tauriel was cursing the chilly wind that was causing her injured lover discomfort.

Kili groaned again when Tauriel took her hand away and she moved to close the bound curtains on the room's columns, hoping they would do something to keep the breeze out. The thick fabric of the curtains proved well enough to stop the chill and, satisfied with her work, Tauriel crept silently back to the chair beside the bed.

Stirring again, Kili's eyes were beginning to flutter open and his hand searched for hers. When he had it, his gravelly voice ground out the first words she'd heard from him in a day and a half. "Where are we?"

"Rivendell," Tauriel answered with a smile, feeling her cheeks heat up with a blush when he pulled her hand back to his face.

"You're warm." He said, disregarding her answer and obviously more interested in having her close. "Com'ere." Kili started to scoot over to make room for her, but Tauriel's hand stopped him, knowing that if he was cold that it would be better for him to keep to the side of the bed he'd already warmed with his body heat. He seemed to sense her hesitancy and patted the spot on the bed behind him.

"You won't need to worry about propriety, here," Kili quirked a smile at her with closed eyes in a half-sleep. "I think my friends and I already wrecked these elves for worry when we passed through."

"I'm glad you feel safe enough," Tauriel answered with a raised brow. "Although, I seem to remember that the last time we were in a bed together among elves, it caused us a bit of trouble."

"But I'm so cold," Kili pouted pathetically, sticking out his lower lip, eyes still closed.

"By the Valar, do you think that look is going to give you everything you want?" Tauriel rose to her feet, standing over the dwarf and pulling her hand away from him to cross her arms.

"No…" He grinned. "But this will." And then he opened his eyes.

Oh, orc dung.

Not the handsome brown eyes. Not the pleading look he was giving her. Not the little turn of a smile at the corner of his mouth made. Was her heart really melting over this? Trained in the elite guard and made captain much earlier than most, and yet Tauriel knew that she could be undone by this dwarf and his amorous expressions toward her. As much as she wanted to resist the look, she felt a fresh wave of guilt when his face turned into another expression. A hurt one. What was this for?

"What's this?" She asked aloud, scrutinizing his sad features and lightly touching the wrinkle of his brow with a finger.

"Just…" he held out a hand to her, looking somewhat ashamed. "All joking aside, I just need to feel you near me."

Was that vulnerability in his tone? It might have been a trick to persuade her to give in, but Tauriel thought not. There was genuine desperation in his eyes though he kept his voice monotone, an obvious effort to conceal just how shaken she knew him to be.

As Tauriel crept into the bed behind her lover, she recalled what Bilbo had said of Kili the previous day. Nightmares. Terrible nightmares. She had only been witness to the last remnants of the dreams, but Kili had been screaming loud enough to make her think he was in pain. Now she drew closer to him and, pressing herself against his back, Tauriel slid her arm around his waist and nuzzled the back of his head with her nose. The elves had assessed that his injuries were not enough to cause the fright he suffered, but Bilbo's face was full of guilt and Tauriel hadn't had the inclination to ask why. Soon enough, she told herself, she would question the hobbit. But for now, maybe Kili would be able to shed some light on it.

"When you fell," Tauriel started in a soothing whisper, "Bilbo and I were able to pull you out of that cavern, but you wouldn't wake and I left you with him to get help. He said that you had nightmares, that you were shouting—"

"I'm sorry about that," Kili said. "I'll have to make it up to him for being such a nuisance."

Tauriel couldn't tell if he was being sarcastic or honest, but she understood that he was downplaying it. And she wouldn't allow that, not when she could feel the small shudder in his shoulders and the slight tremor in his legs.

"You were a little _more_ than frightened," Tauriel brought her hand up to press her fingers firmly against the dwarf's scalp. "You're safe now; you can tell me what you were dreaming about."

"Mmm," was his response to the gentle massage. "I forgot… you know how to interrogate a dwarf."

"Not with torture, that's for certain," she hummed a laugh. "You're lucky I'm loyal to you, otherwise I'd inform King Thranduil of a dwarf's weakness for their hair."

"Mmm," Kili said again, adjusting himself to be closer and reaching a hand behind him to grasp at her waist. His moans became open-mouthed as she continued her ministrations to the roots of his hair and his hand slid lower, claiming her backside in a firm squeeze. Determined not to let him distract her, she stopped moving her fingers along his head and held his wandering hand at the wrist.

"Please," She sighed. "I want to know what your dream was about."

"You're being ridiculous." Kili growled in frustration. "It was just a dream. Stop being a superstitious elf and leave it be."

Tauriel was startled by his hostile tone and pulled further away from him. It was a wonder to her that while she could face down foes with a sword or a bow, meeting aggression from her beloved was enough to make her courage falter. But Kili turned himself over to face her, a clear apology in his eye.

"Mahal, I don't know what just came over me." He looked just as shocked as she felt. "Please, âzyungel, I didn't mean that. I'm sorry."

Tauriel nodded, but there was a sensible part of her mind that logged the words away. "I only wanted to help."

"I know." Kili squeezed his eyes shut, grimacing at the hurt he must have seen on her face. "I don't know why I said that—that's not what my thoughts are—I want to tell you about it, but something made me fear your reaction—"

"Calm down," Tauriel pleaded, inching back toward him, but she wasn't fast enough because he was already pulling closer and pressing his forehead to her chest. If she wasn't concerned before, she certainly was now, and her hands rested on the back of his head, as though her arms could protect him against whatever it was that had made him fearful.

"You must think I'm a child." He said in disdain, but she refused to take the words personally, instead recognizing just how embarrassed he must feel. "I'm always…" He paused and a low growl from his chest vibrated against her stomach. "And you're always…"

And without any further words, Tauriel understood the problem. "I am _not_ always rescuing you." She said firmly. "We have helped each other equally."

A low mutter said that he didn't agree with her.

The spiders of Mirkwood. The poisonous arrow in his leg. His distress after the great battle. And now this. He was tallying up a list…

But Tauriel shook her head. "Do you expect me to forget all of the noble things you have done when _I_ have fallen? If you must keep track of your faults, then you must permit me to do the same for myself. And what good will that do either of us?"

A pair of brown eyes looked up from their hiding place and Tauriel could not hold back her smile. "Prince Kili, you are a competitive sort of dwarf, aren't you? You can't stand to think that you might owe someone something-"

"You already knew this." He murmured with a roll of his eyes. "But I know I'm at fault here—I'm an idiot for resenting your kindness towards me. What can I do to make amends?"

"Tell me your dream," She said and he sighed, but then she raised a brow and mimicked the lopsided grin she'd seen him wear so often. "And then we can warm each other up properly."

He blinked and Tauriel felt his heartbeat quicken through the hand she rested on his chest. "Deal."

* * *

><p>-"<em>Arnalds: For Now I Am Winter" Olafur Arnalds, Arnor Dan-<em>

* * *

><p>As Kili lay beside his beloved, Tauriel looked into his eyes and patiently waited for him to speak.<p>

Deep breath…

"Everything around me was dead. There wasn't any color, it was all shades of black and grey, and the world was shuddering as if a great wind blew against it. My ears were numb to all sound except the wind and I was completely alone. It was… unsettling." He realized his eyes had errantly fallen to her neck as he spoke and he schooled his eyes back onto hers. "I hated feeling so alone… and then I found out I wasn't." Kili closed his eyes and took in a breath. "Mahal, I would have preferred it to seeing what I saw next."

Tauriel's hands came up to grip both of his, but she said nothing. She did not look at him with sympathy or pity, she just centered her attentive gaze at him, letting him know that she was there and that she would never let him come to harm. Any other response might have set off his anger, his distaste for condescension—but, Mahal, she knew what she was doing and he loved her for knowing him so well.

"I love you." He said suddenly, knowing that he was interrupting his own story, but she seemed to appreciate it and leaned forward to kiss him softly, infusing him with the courage to continue.

Another deep breath. "I don't really know what it was that I saw next. It was a… blackness." He sneered at the description and struggled to find better words. "It was a person. I even dare to say it was a man, but it wasn't a man… it was a force of some kind." He rolled his eyes. "Whatever it was, it started to suck all of the light out of the world and I felt it pulling at me. I thought it might drag me in as well, but it held out a hand and, without touching me, it caused me to stand."

_You cannot hide_. He could hear the words just as clearly now as he'd heard them before.

"'You cannot hide,' it told me. And it said that it could see me, that it was a void where only death existed. And then it… well, it didn't have a face, but I could tell it was grinning at me. And it called me 'Son of Durin, wielder of mithril magic'."

_I am the lord of all._

"'I am the lord of all,' it said, 'and you will bow to me'. And then it sort of pushed itself inside of me and made me bow to it. It mentioned the poison in my blood, but…" Kili looked intently at Tauriel. "You healed me, you purged me of that poison long ago, so I don't know why…" He shook his head. "It doesn't matter why, it was just a dream." Lifting his hand to her neck and tracing the bend of it with his fingers, he went on. "It said something about me being a slave to Sauron as long as I wore a ring of his."

"Sauron?" Tauriel frowned. "… you don't wear a ring, let alone a ring of Sauron…"

"See? It's ridiculous," Kili waved it off, but the movement of his hand caught Tauriel's attention and she gently pulled it in front of her face.

"What did you do to your hand?" She suddenly sat up and tentatively cradled his hand, pointing at the irritated skin around his index finger.

The base of his finger was swollen and bruised, thin tendrils of black and blue trailing from it like inflamed blood-vessels. This was the first time Kili himself had noticed the curious injury and he felt a sting of anxiety pulse through him.

_Your will is strong, but mine is stronger. _Was he remembering the words of the ghostly figure or was he _hearing_ them _now_?

"Maybe your hand was hurt in the fall," Her eyebrows pressed together. "Maybe you were having a dream because of the pain in your hand."

"…possible…" Kili muttered, but the tension in his middle screamed that it was more than just coincidence. "Though it looks the same as my leg. Tauriel… the poison in my wound—you _did_ purge it from me, didn't you?" Normally, he would have felt awkward pointing such a question at her, but in this moment it burned too hot in his head to hold back. "In Laketown, when you—"

"I thought I did." She lowered his hand, noting the same thing he did. The gouge in his leg and the veins that ran from it had been blackened with sickness before she had worked over it, and even now the wound would not close. Even now it would flare with blackness from time to time… much the same as this strange injury on his finger. "But perhaps I thought wrong."

_Slave._ The word rang through Kili's head and he rose to kneel on the bed, scowling at his finger.

_I am a descendent of Durin. I am no one's slave._ He thought firmly.

_We will see…_ something answered back.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

**Want a **Kili and OC **humorous parody? **Try HOW TO WRECK A MARY SUE****

**Kili and Danika are tired of being pushed around in fan fiction stories and make a pact to defy writer's prompts, but do they have any idea what will happen if they don't play by the rules? Guest appearances from Luna Lovegood, The Doctor, Sherlock, and others!**

**.**

**Want some Fili/OC romance/adventure? Try GOLD AND FIRE**

**Fili and Princess Nur of the Iron Hills marry in secret just before he leaves for Erebor, but what is a lonely wife to do while her husband is braving life and death for their future? Covers the Battle of Five Armies and afterward. ****Explanations for some of the actions within the movies as well as some behind the scenes! A sequel to GEMS AND POISON- the first big adventure of Fili and Kili!**

**.**

**Want some Thorin/OC romance/angst? **Try JEWELS AND DAGGERS****

**Just as Thorin becomes engaged to be married, the dragon attacks Erebor and all is thrown into chaos! Thieving men take captive some of the wandering dwarves- will Thorin, Frerin, and Dwalin be able to rescue the enslaved dwarves, including Runa, Thorin's beloved?**


	9. Rivendell and the Shire

.

**STARS AND HAMMERS**

**Rivendell and the Shire**

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* * *

><p><em>"Paint" Paper Kites<em>

* * *

><p>Tauriel was pouring over three books at once in the large study room when a voice pierced through her thoughts.<p>

"Are you looking for something specific?" she'd heard, and it made her jump. Had she been so focused on her task that she hadn't heard the footsteps of another elf?

"Lindir, you startled me." Tauriel released a breath.

He raised a brow at her. "I consider that a compliment, to have snuck up on the Captain of King Thranduil's guard."

"Take it as you will, but that rank is not mine anymore." She held back a frustrated sigh. "And, yes, I _am_ looking for something…" Tauriel hesitated a moment, wondering just how much information she was willing to give—and considering how her beloved would feel if she outright announced the gouge Kili was already so embarrassed about. But coming right to it, Tauriel simply said, "Morghul wounds."

Lindir did not look shocked, but he seemed to be scanning her face, his arms clasped behind his back as he came to stand beside the study table. "I can't be certain, but I don't think our library will help you much."

Trying to brush off her disappointment, Tauriel closed the three books and returned them to their shelves. "I had heard that your Master was a skilled healer—"

"I did not say Lord Elrond has never _treated_ morghul poison; I only said that _this_ library does not have what you are looking for. His private study-room has many medical tomes."

Relief washed through Tauriel's middle and she smiled. "May I speak with him?"

"Unfortunately, lady Tauriel," Lindir frowned, "He has already departed on a journey I cannot speak of and he does not mean to return for some time."

But Tauriel was undaunted. "Then perhaps Lord Elrond will not mind…"

Lindir held up a hand. "I am not permitted to enter his study without permission." And when Tauriel's face fell, he took a step toward her. "But I will write to my Master, if you are willing to wait for a reply."

"I cannot wait," Tauriel said, hoping Lindir didn't think her impatient. "The Prince and I are accompanying Master Baggins to the Shire. However, we will be passing by here to return to the Lonely Mountain sometime afterward. I wonder if we could impose on you once more when the time comes…"

"You are welcome to stay as long as you like and welcome to revisit whenever you please," Lindir said with a smile and a short bow.

It never ceased to impress Tauriel, the generosity these elves showed- so very different from her homeland, and the respect they showed even to her dwarf companion. By now they made it clear that they understood she and the Prince were romantically involved and they remained indifferent to the pairing. Indifference was more than Tauriel expected, anticipating the same censure as King Thranduil's subjects.

"You are too kind," Tauriel returned the bow.

Lindir's expression suddenly became concerned. "If it is not too personal a question, may I ask if it is _you_ who suffers from a morghul wound?"

"No, it is not I," She answered, sitting down in a chair beside the study table as Lindir did the same. "It is someone dear to me, though I cannot say who. I treated the wound a year ago and it has yet to heal. We fear there may be lingering poison and I do not know how to counteract it."

Lindir nodded, fixing her with thoughtful eyes. "I am not as knowledgeable as my lord, but I have seen the difficulties of such injuries. The poison can increase over time and eventually overpower the victim if not properly treated."

While she did her best to not react too strongly, the thought of the poison consuming Kili was too much for Tauriel to contemplate without fear and Lindir pulled his chair closer to her.

"If this companion is as dear as you say, then the wound must be cleansed soon. I've no doubt Master Elrond will be able to heal it, but until then there are _other_ things you can do."

* * *

><p><em>"Arches" Agnes Obel<em>

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><p>Kili and Bilbo were discussing their plans to head for the Shire the next morning when the dwarf caught sight of his red-headed lover approaching them.<p>

"Tauriel," He smiled, taking her hand as she came to stand beside him.

The hobbit eyed the two of them with a warm smile before muttering something about having to finish his packing, making his way down the path. Kili very much doubted Bilbo had any packing to do, but he appreciated the moment alone.

"I have something for you," Tauriel was beaming. She held small cloth sack and led Kili back to their guest room, refusing to answer his questions until they were alone.

"What are you up to, schemer?" Kili raised a playful eyebrow at her. Sitting on the edge of the bed, he watched her kneel before him on the floor, tugging at his boots. Cocking his head sideways at her, he fixed her with smoldering eyes, twining a finger through her hair and resisting the urge to fling her onto the bed and crawl on top of her. If she wanted to take her time with him, he wouldn't resist.

A pleasant stab of anticipation ran through his limbs and it took a good amount of his willpower to keep himself still as she removed the other boot and started tugging on his pants. With the trousers on the floor, he couldn't help himself and, still sitting on the bed, pulled at her waist to bring her closer and covered her jawline in heated kisses.

"Rwalaer," Tauriel purred, gently pressing him away. Confusion poured like a bucket of cold water over his heated senses as she removed herself from him, taking out a packet of herbs and laying a warm, wet towel over the hole in his thigh.

"Tauriel, what—"

"Lindir gave me medicine for your wound."

Kili completely simmered down at the realization that she hadn't meant to have her way with him at all—but had intended from the start to prod his painful injury once more.

A frustrated growl erupted from his throat. "So you told him about this, did you?"

Tauriel kept her eyes on Kili's leg, pulling up the towel. "I didn't tell him that it was for you." Even though her face was blank, he could still see the signs that his accusation had been hurtful.

Kili shook his head and sighed. "I'm sorry. I know you're only trying to help." He shook his head again. "I don't know why I do that, I don't know what comes over me."

"You're in pain daily, I understand that. It could turn anyone into a grump."

"You, of all people, do not deserve my grumpiness." Kili muttered, clenching his jaw. "That hurts, what are you doing?"

Tauriel looked up with sympathetic eyes. Kili hated when she did that. Not because he hated her sympathy, but because it was always a prelude to something unpleasant that neither of them would enjoy.

"I have to press this in deep," She held out a mint-colored paste in a cup. "It's not going to be easy to take, but it should free you from pain for a week or so before I have to do it again. Much better than the herbs we've used every morning."

Kili couldn't help the shudder that ran through him and he rubbed his hands over his face. "And Lindir says that this will work? Tauriel, I trust you, but I obviously don't look forward to—"

"We have to try." Tauriel pleaded, setting down the cup of paste and taking his hands in hers. "I don't want to hurt you, but he says that if we don't care for this injury properly, the poison will increase and consume you in time. Lord Elrond can heal it fully, Lindir says, but we do not know when he will return…"

Kili nodded, clenching his eyes shut. "Just do it, then." Because his eyes were closed, he didn't see that Tauriel had leaned toward him, but he felt her press her lips against his and the hand smoothing over his hair. He grabbed with both hands at the base of her skull and pulled her closer with a strength he normally didn't use for fear of hurting her, but she didn't seem to object. The kiss was desperate, speaking his fear of the pain he knew would be close to unbearable.

Pressing his forehead against hers and taking a calming breath, he whispered, "I love you. I trust you. Let's just get this done and over with."

Tauriel nodded and immediately adopted a clinical expression. Taking up the cup and kneeling between his knees, Tauriel looked at the gaping hole in Kili's thigh and began smoothing the paste over the wound.

It was muddy and cold, causing Kili to shiver at the touch, but then it began to sting and he let out a hiss, clenching his fists against the blankets and sitting as still as he could manage while Tauriel used a small wooden tube to press the paste deeper into the wound.

"Gah!" He cried out, gritting his teeth and letting his head roll back, all of his efforts concentrated on keeping his leg from kicking out as Tauriel continued to work over the wound. It felt as though he were being stabbed by icicles, the cold burrowing into his inner muscles and causing him to shake. As much as he'd told himself he could handle it, his leg was screaming at him as painfully as it had during his first fever in Laketown.

"Stop." Kili moaned. "Please, stop—it's too much!"

"It's done," Tauriel held her hands up, but it continued to make him writhe and Kili felt something dripping down his calf. "Kili, open your eyes—look."

His own gasping breaths and grinding teeth were loud in his ears, but he craned his neck to look downward and realized that the mint-green of the paste was turning black and seeping out of him.

"It's drawing out the poison." Tauriel sighed in relief, using a cloth to wipe away the black line travelling down his leg from the weeping wound..

Kili's breathing was still heavy, but he admitted to himself that the stinging and coolness of the paste was lessening with each moment, until finally it was replaced with a warm, calming sensation that was almost pleasurable. He didn't care that his groan of relief was loud, and he fell backward on the bed, staring up at the ceiling and thanking Mahal that the searing agony was over.

He felt Tauriel wiping at the skin and wrapping his leg before her weight shifted the bed, coming to join him. Laying on her side and looking into his face, she looked hesitant to touch him.

"Better, melamin?" Her lips worked into a nervous smile.

Kili was somewhere between the waking world and sleep, his relief and sudden weightlessness causing him to close his eyes in contentment. "Mahal, yes." He scooted tiredly closer to her, burrowing into the warmth of her neck and resting a hand on her waist. "I didn't realize how much I was hurting until now."

The combing of her fingers through his hair threatened to finish his battle with consciousness, so soft and gentle was the sensation that ran all the way down his spine.

"You've been bearing it for so long, it must be a relief to live without it for a time." She whispered and he nodded in agreement, but the energy the nod required taxed his meager reserves and he heard himself softly snoring as his entire body relaxed and gave in to sweet sleep.

* * *

><p><em>"Every Age" Jose Gonzalez<em>

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><p>Tauriel stayed where she was, laying on her side atop the plush bed and running her fingers through the hair of the sleeping dwarf who had burrowed until he was practically beneath her. His soft breaths were pleasant to listen to and the warmth of his body seemed to be returning to him quickly. She'd been concerned for him, at first, when the paste had made his whole body cold to the touch, but pressed against her in this fashion, she could feel each limb as it regained its heat.<p>

Her fingers brushed against his ear and she tucked the hair behind it, looking at it with wonder in one of the rare moments that she had an opportunity—Kili was very self-conscious of his ears and she wondered if it had something to do with them being so round and large, while hers were so narrow and pointed. No matter what he thought of them, she considered them manly and adorable, if ever such a combination existed. She ran her finger along his earlobe, delighting in the stolen moment and wondering if the touch would wake him. But it didn't and Tauriel ran the pulp of her finger along the lines of the ear, left to her curiosity in peace.

That is, until he moaned in some sort of approval.

Tauriel paused for a moment, alarmed that she may have done something wrong, but his grip on her waist tightened and she felt the skin on her neck being kissed. Interested in provoking a stronger reaction, she rubbed more firmly against his earlobe and waited for a response. And, by the Valar, she got one.

A loud, sensuous moan left his lips along with a plea to be gentle. "You could finish me off with those ears, love."

But she didn't have time to learn just what he meant because his eyes opened and a lopsided grin widened on his lips, his energy returning with a fury while Tauriel found herself being pinned to the bed.

The elf was thrilled to note that Kili did not seem to be affected by pain as he had previously, and even more so that he was alive in a way he hadn't been before, proving his recovered strength through his heated kisses and strong movement. She couldn't remember having been so passionately coupled with him before.

* * *

><p><em>"Black Flies" Ben Howard<em>

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><p>It was another four days before they came to the edges of Hobbiton, but in that time, Bilbo had come to realize that something strange—though something strangely <em>good<em>—had come over Kili. The dwarf was chattering happily, in a way Bilbo hadn't seen since he first met the dwarf. Of course, Fili had been right alongside Kili that time, but Bilbo noted with relief that a heavy burden seemed to have lifted from the dwarf Prince's shoulders and saw, more than once, that even Tauriel seemed happier than she had been.

"I do have to apologize beforehand," Bilbo craned his neck to look up at the elf. "That while Kili and I have no trouble with it, _you_ might consider the house a bit small."

Tauriel waved her hand at him. "That is of no concern to me, Master Baggins," she smiled. "If Mithrandir can fit inside your hovel, then so shall I. And I have heard that Bag End is very splendid, so I am glad that we have taken this chance to come with you."

"It is, indeed!" Bilbo found himself smiling so that his cheeks nearly hurt. "I have seen the legacies of great halls and treasures on my adventure, but I am happy to return to my own. And I daresay, we'll have an afternoon of…" Bilbo frowned, glancing at a hobbit that passed by them with some furniture. "That looks like my chair."

Another hobbit passed by with a similar chair. "And that one, too!"

"Master Baggins…" Tauriel shielded her eyes from the sun, but she looked out at something far away, which Bilbo obviously couldn't see because he wasn't as tall as she was, nor was he an elf. "… is this _your_ house upon the hill?"

"Yes," Bilbo nodded, turning his head from her to the path and then back again. "What do you see?"

"A gathering," Tauriel bit her lip and looked down as though she were embarrassed. "I believe it is an auction."

"An auction!" The hobbit whirled around and darted up the path, pressing past the hobbits that walked away with his things and addressing the older gentleman who stood on Bilbo's porch behind a platform with a mallet.

"Stop!" Bilbo cried out. "I don't know what in the world has come in to your heads, but I demand you put my things back now!"

"Mr. Baggins?" Someone called out. "But you're dead!"

"I am most certainly not!" Bilbo shouted incredulously. "You can pinch me if you like, but this is no ghost standing before you. Who declared me dead?"

He looked out over the crowd and saw a dark brown curly head ducking behind a few others and knew immediately that it was Lobelia Sackville-Baggins.

"I'm afraid, sir," the auction-master looked at him crossly with his hands on his hips. "We'll need some proof to verify that you are who you say you are."

"Mahal's hammer!" Kili muttered from behind Bilbo. "I can vouch for this hobbit's identity—he has been traveling with the company of Thorin Oakenshield and is a personal friend of King Fili of Erebor."

"Ere-where?" The auctioneer crossed his arms. "I've never heard of such a place, nor do I know who these Thorn and King Filly people are."

Bilbo immediately paled, instinctively throwing an arm out to stop the affronted Kili from ascending the steps. "Kili," Bilbo whispered, turning to his friend. "They don't mean any offense, I swear. Please, let me handle this."

The angry dwarf's jaw clenched, but he nodded at Bilbo and took a step back, coming alongside Tauriel.

Making his way quickly up the steps, Bilbo came close to the auctioneer and pulled out the document Balin had made him sign to join the quest for Erebor. He cleared his throat as he held out the paper. "Listen, I know the outside world isn't very pressing to the Shire-folk, but this dwarf is a Prince, and if you don't address him as such, I'm afraid you're going to heap trouble on your own head."

The auction-master made no argument, looking over Bilbo's document and nodding at him before leaning around Bilbo to mutter an apology.

"It seems everything is in order here," the auction-master rubbed his hands together. "I declare the sale concluded."

"Concluded?" Bilbo didn't like the sound of that. "What about my things, what about the furniture that's already been sold off?"

"I'm afraid, my lad," The hobbit tipped his hat. "You'll have to see to that yourself. You can use our records to track everything down, but we, er… don't have the time."

_Or the inclination_, Bilbo thought bitterly. "Fine. Fine. Give me the list." He turned to his two companions, still standing at the gate.

"Mr. Baggins," Tauriel bit her lip, "I don't know what state your house is in, but we can easily find an inn if you would be inconvenienced by having guests—"

"We'll answer that question right now," Bilbo said determinedly, and once his front porch had finally emptied of strange hobbits, he stepped into the house and held his breath.

While it wasn't entirely emptied, Bilbo was surprised by just _how much_ he seemed to be missing. It was a strange thing, but he'd never considered himself very wealthy and was just now realizing how much he'd truly had before. The blank emptiness of the hovel seemed… blaring.

"I'm sorry, Bilbo," he heard Tauriel say from behind and he woke from his staring gaze to find his feet had taken him past the front door to stand before his fireplace, the dwarf and elf standing cautiously in the doorway.

"It's… it's fine," Bilbo took in a deep breath. "I wanted to come home and now I'm here. It's just the things that are missing. They're just things." He seemed to be trying to convince himself of this and it was slowly working. "At least they left the portraits alone." Lifting a hand to right the picture frames above the mantle, Bilbo smiled. "I think… yes, I think it's going to be just fine."

Reaching into his pocket, he pulled out the acorn he'd taken from his stay at Beorn's house. It gave him comfort and he patted it gently. Turning to face his companions, he saw that Tauriel wore a proud smile, as though she admired the hobbit for turning his attention toward the good instead of dwelling on the bad.

Kili, however, looked incensed, and his hands were fists at his side, gripping and ungripping as though he wanted to strike out at something. "It isn't right." The dwarf shook his head. "You deserve a hero's welcome, and instead you return to thieves..." Kili looked out the front door. "I'll be back." When Tauriel called after him, he muttered something about taking a walk.

Bilbo shrugged and shook his head. "Tauriel, I wonder if I could ask you for a favor."

"Anything, Bilbo," she smiled, and he was relieved that she had forgotten to call him Mr. Baggins.

"Hobbits are fairly good with their hands when it comes to gardening," he said, stepping toward her and passing back onto his front porch. "but I'm sure elves are… well, fairly _wonderful_ at planting things."

Tauriel ducked under the doorway before standing to her full height outside the short house.

"Would you help me with this?" He held up the acorn. "It's one of a kind, I'm afraid I don't have a second chance at tending to it properly, and I told someone…" His thoughts wandered to his last meeting with Thorin, and Bilbo's optimism shuddered under the weight of the sorrowful memory, but he forced a smile back onto his face. "… I promised someone I'd plant this in memory of them."

The she-elf's eyes brimmed with tears and Bilbo could not decide whether it was because she knew to whom he was referring or because she admired his efforts to begin his new life with a memorial to a friend.

"Master Baggins," She cocked her head at him. "I would be honored to be a part of that planting."

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

**Want a **Kili and OC **humorous parody? **Try HOW TO WRECK A MARY SUE****

**Kili and Danika are tired of being pushed around in fan fiction stories and make a pact to defy writer's prompts, but do they have any idea what will happen if they don't play by the rules? Guest appearances from Luna Lovegood, The Doctor, Sherlock, and others!**

**.**

**Want some Fili/OC romance/adventure? Try GOLD AND FIRE**

**Fili and Princess Nur of the Iron Hills marry in secret just before he leaves for Erebor, but what is a lonely wife to do while her husband is braving life and death for their future? Covers the Battle of Five Armies and afterward. ****Explanations for some of the actions within the movies as well as some behind the scenes! A sequel to GEMS AND POISON- the first big adventure of Fili and Kili!**

**.**

**Want some Thorin/OC romance/angst? **Try JEWELS AND DAGGERS****

**Just as Thorin becomes engaged to be married, the dragon attacks Erebor and all is thrown into chaos! Thieving men take captive some of the wandering dwarves- will Thorin, Frerin, and Dwalin be able to rescue the enslaved dwarves, including Runa, Thorin's beloved?**


	10. Morning in the Shire

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**STARS AND HAMMERS**

**Morning in the Shire**

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><p>"<em>From the Mouth of An Injured Head" Radical Face<em>

* * *

><p>Tauriel dug her hands into the mound of dark earth in Bilbo's garden, scooping a handful over the top of the planted acorn and whispering a blessing on the soil as she smoothed it over the filled-in hole. She couldn't help the smile that spread across her face as she wiped the dirt from her hands, rising from her knees and watching the hobbit bring the watering can over the newly planted acorn.<p>

It was a beautiful sight to the elf: new life being given a chance to prosper in the best conditions they could give it. Once, long ago, the Greenwood had looked something like the Shire, green and lush with moisture and sunlight for rich soil, and if Tauriel had been forced to settle somewhere in Middle-Earth, Hobbiton certainly had an appeal. She wondered what Kili would think if she brought that stray thought to his attention.

Letting out a happy sigh, Tauriel turned her head to realize Bilbo was staring at her. "What?" She smiled at him.

Bilbo blinked. "You're just… glowing." He crossed his arms and grinned at her. "Sorry, I don't mean to embarrass you—"

"No need to apologize," She shook her head and flashed a brilliant smile at him. "Elves tend to thrive with good soil under their feet. It has been a long time since I stood in such a green place as the Shire." And looking out at the grassy knolls as the sun began to set, she let out another happy sigh. "You are privileged to call this home."

"My thoughts exactly." Bilbo held out an arm to her and, though he was obviously much shorter than her, she slipped her hand through the crook of her escort's elbow and they ducked under the entryway of his home.

"So," Bilbo clapped his hands together. "Let me see what I can do about making us some supper." And disappearing down a walkway, Tauriel was left standing—or rather, hunching over—in the room with the fireplace. She felt terrible about the hobbit's misfortune, but he seemed to be making the best of it and she refused to do anything but encourage him. Feeling awkward simply standing about, she began to pick up at the clutter on the floor, finding a broom and sweeping away the dust and dirt the buyers had carelessly tracked in.

It wasn't until darkness fell that she began to wonder about Kili with some concern. Bilbo had been able to find some tea and had gone to the market to retrieve groceries, returning and cooking fish in his kitchen while Tauriel sat at his dining table and listened to the hobbit's account of the party the dwarves had enjoyed at his expense when they had gather together before the quest. He had her laughing and forgetting about the missing dwarf before long, but the sound of a knock at the door caused both of them to quiet down and stare at the front room.

"Do you want me to—?"

"No, I'll get it," Bilbo waved her off, setting down the frying pan and wiping his hands on an apron. "You mind the fish, I'll be right back."

Moments later, Tauriel heard the stomping of many feet and the sound of furniture being set down in Bilbo's rooms.

"Master Baggins," She ducked under the archway of the kitchen, eyes wide as hobbits began to pour into the house with articles and chairs, bookshelves and side-tables. Bilbo stood at the front door, looking around and scratching his head, and he, too, watched the parade of newcomers as they dragged their burdens into the rooms. Each of them wore a scowl and moved as quickly as they could, obviously wanting to be gone as fast as they could manage, and soon Tauriel and Bilbo were standing in the midst of tables and chairs, boxes and books.

"What in the world…" Bilbo was still scratching his head, and he was about to close the door when a dwarf appeared in it. A grumbling dwarf.

"They could have at least set it back where it belongs," Kili sighed in exasperation.

Bilbo looked flabbergasted. "I'm just happy it's been returned—I'll gladly set things right."

"Kili," Tauriel glanced nervously at him. "Did you do this?" He nodded. "You didn't use force, did you?"

"What?" He looked offended. "No, no—of course not!" Kili crossed his arms, stepping into the house. "They were all compensated—and compensated more than accordingly for my taste. I did have to insist rather gruffly with some of them, but a glimpse of Erebor coin convinced them otherwise."

"You really didn't have to do that," Bilbo blushed.

"Bilbo," Kili reached out a hand, leaning over a chair in his way and clapping the hobbit on the shoulder. "Like I said before, you should have had a hero's welcome. Let me do what I can to thank you for all you did for us."

Although Tauriel was sure the hobbit struggled to say it, he faintly murmured a 'thank you' before turning an even brighter shade of red and returning to the kitchen to finish with the fish.

Kili looked up at Tauriel, a weary expression on his face, as though his patience had been sorely tested that day, and she smiled at him, beaming with pride. "That was a noble thing you did, my love."

It was Kili's turn to blush and he responded with something of a grunt. Shuffling past the furniture and leaning down to meet his lips, Tauriel hummed her appreciation into his mouth, causing him to twitch in surprise when she faintly licked the corner of his mouth. His hand slid into hers and their fingers interlocked as she led him toward the kitchen. Or tried to. Kili pulled her back to him and with a swift movement of his foot at the bend of her knee and a strong arm to catch her as she tipped sideways, the dwarf held her at the waist and neck, leaning down to press a very passionate kiss to the lips that were holding back a giddy laugh.

"Your emerald eyes are shining," he smiled at her. "I've never seen them glow like that."

"Hm," Tauriel gathered herself to stand, though Kili refused to relinquish his hold on her hand. "Bilbo said something similar." Picking up a box and looking around the room for a place to set it, Tauriel couldn't help but continue to smile. "It's so lush here, so green and alive. You might not believe it, but the enchanted forest you were captured in used to resemble the Shire."

"Er, Tauriel," Kili pointed at a hallway beside the front room. "That box goes there."

Tauriel looked down at it. "How do you know?"

Kili scratched the back of his head. "I might have used it to scrape my boots the last time I was here… it's not important—it goes there."

She set the box down, amusement playing over her face and Kili took up the previous conversation.

"You told me once that the Greenwood might return to the way it was before." Kili said, picking up a chair and placing it in the fireplace room. "I wonder what it might take to get it that way."

Tauriel shook her head. "I honestly don't know. Perhaps that forest is lost to us forever. It has been overrun with darkness and poison for so long that it may never return to the way it was, not matter how much effort is given."

"Don't say that," Kili came close and put a hand on her arm, his eyes insistently catching hers. The hope she saw there was enough to cast doubt on her assessment. "You love that land, I know you do. I pray you wouldn't give up on something you love, no matter how difficult it may seem to win it back. As defiled as it may be, there is still life within the roots of those trees. Would you give up hope, even for a small spark of life?"

Tauriel's heart was brimming with emotion and she found herself close to tears. "Now this is a curious thing—a dwarf encouraging an elf not to lose hope over a rotting forest." She patted his hand on her arm and wiped away the moisture from her eyes. "Melamin, you are beyond a doubt the heart my heart has longed to be joined with. No, I will not give up hope, even for a small spark of life."

Kili nodded at this, taking her hand and pressing his lips to the knuckles before they both resumed their arrangement of the furniture. When Bilbo came out to announce that supper was cooked and ready to eat, he thanked them for their assistance with his various belongings and told them that the guest beds had, fortunately, been untouched and were available for them to sleep in. He apologized profusely to Tauriel that he didn't have a mattress large enough for her to fit on, but the elf reminded him that she did not truly need sleep at all.

She remembered the first time she'd had to explain it to Kili, humoring him a few times and "napping" beside him while he slumbered deeply, and Bilbo's response was much the same as the dwarf's had been. He blinked in disbelief, looking as though he wanted to ask what it was that she did instead of sleep, but he looked too bashful to let the question come to fruition.

It was hours later that Kili had settled into the guest bed, curled into the blankets and snoring loudly enough that Tauriel was convinced he felt safe and secure. She took up a seat in the rocking chair in the corner of the room, at first, but after a while her longing for the night sky got the better of her.

Creeping quietly through the house and out the front door, Tauriel rested against the bench in front of the window, looking up into the hues of purple and blue, the clear light of the moon bathing her in a silvery glow. The stars were out in earnest this evening and she could easily trace the constellations.

A happy sigh left her nostrils—not for the last time— as the elf quietly settled to gaze at the sky in perfect contentment, watching the lights as they snuck in a rounded curve across the black canvas, with the yellows and blues of morning beginning to creep at the edges.

Tauriel almost held her breath as the sun began to wash away the black of night, the ground shining with morning dew and the soft petals of flowers opening as they woke from their slumber. Birds began to sing as morning continued to stretch over the sky and the green of the Shire warmed in light.

So much detail, so much description, Tauriel mused, she wished she could capture in a painting, but her memory would have to do. Who knew when they would be able to return to this place, if at all, and the thought made Tauriel want even more to capture the vivid picture of it in her mind. The creak of the front door to Bag End sounded and she turned her head to see a very groggy dwarf emerge from it.

"I thought I'd find you here," He yawned, stretching his hands over his head as he came to sit beside her. "Watching the sun rise without me?"

"You haven't missed all of it, yet," Her mouth twitched as it worked into a smile. She reached for his hand, but he moved closer to her and pulled an arm around her, squeezing her into his side and smiling at her with what she took to be admiration.

Another contented sigh made its way from her chest and her smug smile must have been wide because Kili looked up at her questioningly.

"What are you thinking about?" Kili nudged her side as she picked up her arm from between them to wrap around his shoulder.

"I'm happy." She said, surprised by just how happy she was. "Despite all the terrible things that have happened, this is…" Tauriel shook her head and laughed. "Yes, _this_ is the happiest moment of my life."

"I won't diminish it," Kili said with a raised brow. "But in all of six hundred years, _this_ is your happiest moment?"

"Yes," she nodded confidently. "We have so much ahead of us and I don't know what triumphs and failures we will endure, but I will always treasure this time in the Shire with my beloved."

Struck silent, the dwarf looked at her with reverence and pulled her head down to kiss her forehead, and they watched the passing of night into day.

* * *

><p>.<p>

.

**Want a **Kili and OC **humorous parody? **Try HOW TO WRECK A MARY SUE****

**Kili and Danika are tired of being pushed around in fan fiction stories and make a pact to defy writer's prompts, but do they have any idea what will happen if they don't play by the rules? Guest appearances from Luna Lovegood, The Doctor, Sherlock, and others!**

**.**

**Want some Fili/OC romance/adventure? Try GOLD AND FIRE**

**Fili and Princess Nur of the Iron Hills marry in secret just before he leaves for Erebor, but what is a lonely wife to do while her husband is braving life and death for their future? Covers the Battle of Five Armies and afterward. ****Explanations for some of the actions within the movies as well as some behind the scenes! A sequel to GEMS AND POISON- the first big adventure of Fili and Kili!**

**.**

**Want some Thorin/OC romance/angst? **Try JEWELS AND DAGGERS****

**Just as Thorin becomes engaged to be married, the dragon attacks Erebor and all is thrown into chaos! Thieving men take captive some of the wandering dwarves- will Thorin, Frerin, and Dwalin be able to rescue the enslaved dwarves, including Runa, Thorin's beloved?**


	11. Defending Her Honor

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**STARS AND HAMMERS**

_**Defending Her Honor**_

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><p>"<em>Twice" Little Dragon<em>

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><p>A week into their visit to the Shire, Tauriel and Kili began to sense the hobbit's hesitancy to let them leave. And while Kili couldn't quite comprehend it, Tauriel knew exactly what Bilbo's thoughts were.<p>

"He's already feeling lonely," She said discreetly to him before Kili slept, laying against her side on the too-small bed beside her lover. "He's been in the company of dwarves for more than a year. Do you imagine it will be easy for him to say goodbye and embrace the quiet of his home after such an adventure?"

"No, I guess not," Kili's eyes lowered, his head resting against the bend of his elbow. Out of habit, he twirled a strand of Tauriel's hair around his finger, letting out a sleepy sigh and turning his brown eyes toward her. "I don't envy him that. I think I'd lose my mind if I was robbed of you or Fili."

These were the thoughts that ushered Kili to sleep and he dreamed that he was falling into an abyss while Tauriel, Fili, and Fili's wife, Nur, stood on a cliff above him and watched with indifference. There was a dark mist clutching at his ankles and pulling him downward while he struggled against it, trying to shout to them. And, like in most dreams, though he summoned everything in him to cry out, it was barely a breath that left his lips, silently screaming as he was pulled down, down, down.

When the deep black consumed him, he felt as though he were moving through dark waters and his body jolted.

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><p>"<em>The Morning After" Meg Myers<em>

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><p>Tauriel had been reading into the first light of morning, sitting in a chair beside the bed where Kili slept, but as the dwarf began to toss and turn, her concentration was torn from the text. He groaned and turned his head against the white pillow, clearly in the throes of a nightmare, his dark hair clinging to his sweaty forehead and his brow wrinkling as his breathing became heavy.<p>

"Kili." She called his name softly, rising slowly from the chair and reaching a hand out toward her lover, letting it hover over the blue sleeve of his shoulder before committing to touching him. "Melamin?"

Kili's legs were twitching and his mouth opened and closed, as though he were trying to call out, though no sound escaped his throat.

"Kili." Tauriel called a little louder, a hand pressed to his shoulder as she gently shook him.

His eyes opened instantly, fixing her with a fearful as though he were afraid of looking anywhere else.

"Azyungâl," Kili murmured, frozen where he lay. A deep pang of pity shot through Tauriel— his face was so open and vulnerable, clearly distraught from the vision of his dream, and she immediately lowered to the bed. Resting against her side and opening her arms to him, Tauriel stayed still while the dwarf inched his way into her arms, pressing himself against her in the same way a small child might seek comfort from his mother.

"Azyungâl," He said again, hands on her shoulders as though making sure she was real. "I was falling."

Tauriel could feel the frantic heartbeat of her lover as she curled around him, arms guarding him, and she was shocked into silence—Kili was always so reluctant to speak of his dreams to her, but he seemed to have no reservations now. Had it been that terrible?

"Something was pulling me down," He went on, nuzzling his forehead into her neck. "Something was taking me away from you and Fili and Nur… and no matter how much I shouted, you couldn't hear me, none of you could. You all watched and I kept sinking into darkness."

"The darkness again…" Tauriel's eyes shut tightly. "That is not a good omen."

"I don't believe in omens," Kili said quickly, as if that might cause the dream to be less real.

Tauriel ran her hand along the dwarf's back, circling it comfortingly and turning her head to kiss his ear. Rather than have this discussion again—in which they had both became sharply aware of their cultural differences concerning dreams—she let it go and her eyes passed to Kili's thigh.

"You always have nightmares just before we have to treat your leg." She reminded him, squeezing her arms around him.

"Mmm," he answered, his muscles loosening under her hold.

Her mind was grasping, wondering how else she might comfort her frightened lover, when she found herself humming. Humming became a soft whisper of song and she let the low, sultry notes flow without reserve, bearing a part of herself to him that she hadn't shared with many others. She sang of the beginning of the world, of the chorus of song that had brought Middle-Earth into being. And when she began to sing of the creation of the dwarves, she heard a soft snoring and knew that Kili had fallen asleep.

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><p>"<em>Off I Go—2010 remix" Greg Laswell<em>

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><p>When it came to it, Kili was partially relieved to depart from the Shire. While it was beautiful and had an amazing effect on his elven beloved, its occupants were beginning to irritate him with their whispers and pointing. Apparently, a week was all it had taken to circulate the rumor that the dwarf was hired muscle for Bilbo Baggins, due to his efforts to collect the hobbit's belongings. It didn't matter that Kili had paid them from his own pockets, and with gold coin no less—their pride had been injured.<p>

"Promise me you'll visit again," Bilbo said with a drooping face as he shook Kili's hand at the front door of Bag End. "I would see you to the edge of the Shire—"

Kili shook his head. "Master Baggins, we just saw you _into_ the Shire. Will we be taking trips back and forth to accompany each other in an effort to stay together for as long as possible?" He smiled at the hobbit, but Bilbo did not smile back, as though he were considering it. "Bilbo, you know you're welcome to come live in the mountain with us, if you want to."

Bilbo sighed and put a hand on Kili's shoulder. "My dear friend… I've thought long on that offer, as it was given to me from your brother before we left. But distance has not changed the reason I cannot stay there…"

And though no one said it aloud, all knew that it came down to a name. Thorin. The hurt was still too fresh for the hobbit to return to the place won with the dwarf King's blood…

"Then I wish you good health and continued prosperity," Kili smiled, nodding at Bilbo as he took a step back.

"Tauriel," Bilbo called once the two had reached his front gate. "Keep that one out of trouble, will you?"

Kili snorted, grinning at his beautiful companion, who looked as though she were trying to come up with a witty reply, but in the end she nodded her head as though this might be a difficult thing to accomplish.

Waving a hand at the ever-decreasing image of Bilbo, Kili continued to stroll down the path, hand in hand with the red-haired she-elf.

"You're going to miss him." Tauriel said, keeping her eyes directed on the path.

"Mm." Kili murmured non-committedly.

"Perhaps we will come this way again someday." She reassured him.

"Mm." He replied, having difficulty finding his voice. Bilbo somehow seemed tied to the memory of Kili's uncle, Thorin, and it was hard to tear himself away from his friend, as though the last remnant of Thorin were being taken away. _When did I become so sentimental?_ Kili asked himself with a sigh.

On they walked for hours into the day, and when daylight began to fade, the two discussed where they might veer into the forest to set up camp since they were still too far from the village of Bree. But as they were about to step off the road, there was a figure approaching them—one which they might have ignored, except that the fellow was most definitely a dwarf and seemed intent on increasing his speed toward them.

"Prince Kili of Erebor!" He shouted toward them, and Kili squinted his eyes at the figure before they widened in recognition.

"I know a lad from the Blue Mountains when I see one!" Kili smiled at the dwarf trotting toward them. "Bolmer!"

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><p>"<em>Waiting Game" Banks<em>

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><p>Tauriel watched as the two dwarves greeted each other, hands on each other's shoulders.<p>

The fellow standing before her was what she'd believed was the prime image of a dwarf: Scraggly, dark-brown hair flowed onto the dwarf's wide shoulders, his beard and mustache arranged in clasps and braids that flowed downward to touch his belt. His hands and forearms were thick and he wore an array of leather strappings about them, with touches of copper beading interwoven into the leatherwork. And his massive boots made Tauriel's eyes widen. Suddenly, she found herself incredibly grateful for her beloved Kili's proportions, understanding now what he'd meant when Kili said he was considered "scrawny".

Tauriel felt some internal instinct poking at her brain to tell her that this large dwarf was a threat and needed to be watched carefully, but she couldn't pinpoint why. And yet, after six hundred years of listening to those instincts, she couldn't ignore it…

"Aye, lad, I've been looking for you along this road for some time." The boisterous voice came, no less than the shout it had been from a distance. It hurt Tauriel's ears and she took a step back, grateful not only for Kili's proportions, but also the softness of his voice.

"Are you still in mother's service?"

"To be sure—I'd not give up serving her until she perishes, lad! The Lady Dis is as kind and honest a mistress as ever there was!" Bolmer's smile faltered a moment. "But we come to the point of things, lad, and I must deliver her message to you. She has worried herself into something grievous. She has not joined the first caravan of dwarves to head for the Lonely Mountain and she says that she will not join the next, either."

Bolmer took in a loud breath before he continued. "The Lady Dis mourns for her brother and fears to return to the place that saw dragon-fire and death. My lady was valiant, at the first, and tried to summon the courage to leave the place she now calls home, but the bitterness of her sorrow caused her health to wane."

"Is there nothing that can be done for her?" Kili sounded as though he were ready to run to her side. "Can we do nothing to persuade her that all is safe now? Surely, she cannot miss the birth of her first grandchild!"

"A grandmother already?" Bolmer sounded pleased. "Have you been hard at work fighting off a dragon and finding your One all at the same time?"

Kili made a snort that sounded like a laugh. "Ah, my One found _me_, but it's Fili who will become a father so soon." Tauriel could see Kili's pride through his wide smile. "He married the Princess of the Iron Hills."

"Princess Nur," Bolmer sounded as though he approved. "Aye, that is a good match! But, come now! Tell me of this lass who's won your heart? Perhaps Lady Dis can be convinced to come when she hears that both of her sons have brought her new daughters, among their other accomplishments." At this, he eyed Tauriel with a smug expression, but she could not understand why. "A mighty conquest to have taken an elf into your own service, lad."

Tauriel strained to keep her expression blank and looked to Kili, whose face filled with disgust. "She's _not_ my servant." And reaching out to her, Kili made a clear show of his affection by holding her hand. "This is Tauriel, emissary to Erebor and the Woodland Realm, close friend to King Fili and sword-sister to Queen Nur." Bolmer's incredulity was plain on his face, but he looked close to rage when Kili added. "And she is my wife."

There was a tense moment of silence before the hulking dwarf raised his glare from the ground to stare at Kili, rather than with Tauriel, whose existence he seemed to be purposefully ignoring now. If her instincts had told her this dwarf was dangerous before, then they were practically shouting at her now!

"This is an abomination." Bolmer muttered in a slow, ragged voice. "Would that you had died honorably in battle, rather than send me to my lady with this news." He took in a shuddering breath. "We had heard that you were paired with someone, but the messengers did not say who… and now I know why."

"You would do well to hold your tongue and pay respect to a Princess of Erebor." Kili's eyes were blazing, the shadows from the waning light of day making his face look all the more formidable.

"Mahal, help me," Bolmer looked ready to scream in Kili's face, "but I will _never_ bow to an elf, let alone a subject of Thranduil, who deserted us in our time of need. And I doubt the subjects of Erebor would disagree with me. They'd sooner strip you of your title than see her as royalty if you insist on flaunting such an unnatural coupling!"

"If that is the choice my brother's councilors bring before me, then you will have one less Prince to address." And leaning forward, he added, "But until that time, I retain my position—and you will not dishonor my wife again."

The seething Bolmer's face was red and his rage looked barely contained, and though she had said nothing in the whole of the meeting, Tauriel felt that everything necessary to say had been said. Bolmer seemed to agree with that idea because he made a small bow to Kili before taking a few tentative steps away, now looking more distraught than angry.

"What will I tell your mother?" The dwarf said as he turned to leave.

"The truth." Kili called after him, gently tugging on Tauriel's arm to guide her from the path and into the forest.

Compared to the other dwarf's stomps away from them on the rocky road, Kili's steps appeared more nimble to Tauriel, and she squeezed his hand and released the breath she didn't know she'd been holding.

"That didn't go very well," she muttered quietly.

"Not as well as I'd hoped." Kili responded darkly, his brows bent in anger as he kept his eyes fixed on a small clearing before them.

"Will you… Do you think you'll see him again? To be able to smooth things over?" Tauriel bit her lip unconsciously.

Kili shook his head and waved a hand at her. "I'm not worried about him. Dwarves can keep grudges for a long time, but among proper friends we forgive easily enough." Coming to a stop and putting a hand over his forehead, he sighed. "I'm just worried about how my mum is going to take it… if she's already doing badly."

Tauriel was dumbstruck. It almost felt as though this had been an awkward dream in which she were forced to stand idly by, saying and doing nothing. What words of comfort could she give?

But Kili shook his head, as if dismissing his own thoughts. "I'm not sure if you were aware of Dwarf customs, but technically we married in the mountain." Kili shrugged, but he glanced at her out of the corner of his eye and she could see that he was trying to feign a casual demeanor, as though he were afraid to make something out of it. "Just so you know."

"Since you never asked about Elvish customs, I have the responsibility to inform you that it is the same for us." She threw him a grin and a raised eyebrow. "Just so you know."

"Mm-hm." He nodded, holding back the twitch on his face until finally he gave in to a wide smile. "That, uh… doesn't bother you, does it?"

"What? That we are 'technically' married instead of ceremonially?" Tauriel squeezed his hand before leading him further into the forest. "Does it change anything between us?"

"Well, not really," He answered, stealing another look at her from the corner of his eye. "It might matter to others, but—"

"I'm not concerned about what others think." Tauriel said. And she meant it. More often than not, they were met with disgust and had to ignore the comments thrown their way. Well-wishes were fine when they came from those who mattered, but what was the sense in trying to appease everyone else?

"I love you… my wife." Kili said, raising her hand to his lips and kissing her knuckles.

"As I love you, dear husband. That's all we need."

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><p>.<p>

.

**Want a **Kili and OC **humorous parody? **Try HOW TO WRECK A MARY SUE****

**Kili and Danika are tired of being pushed around in fan fiction stories and make a pact to defy writer's prompts, but do they have any idea what will happen if they don't play by the rules? Guest appearances from Luna Lovegood, The Doctor, Sherlock, and others!**

**.**

**Want some Fili/OC romance/adventure? Try GOLD AND FIRE**

**Fili and Princess Nur of the Iron Hills marry in secret just before he leaves for Erebor, but what is a lonely wife to do while her husband is braving life and death for their future? Covers the Battle of Five Armies and afterward. ****Explanations for some of the actions within the movies as well as some behind the scenes! A sequel to GEMS AND POISON- the first big adventure of Fili and Kili!**

**.**

**Want some Thorin/OC romance/angst? **Try JEWELS AND DAGGERS****

**Just as Thorin becomes engaged to be married, the dragon attacks Erebor and all is thrown into chaos! Thieving men take captive some of the wandering dwarves- will Thorin, Frerin, and Dwalin be able to rescue the enslaved dwarves, including Runa, Thorin's beloved?**


	12. AUTHOR'S PROMISE

_._

_**AUTHOR'S NOTE:**_

**I HAVE NOT ABANDONED THIS STORY.**

**Chapters will be coming every two weeks for a while.**

It's always so hard to find a story you like and then learn that the writer hasn't updated in months (sometimes, even years), but I promise you—here and now—that I will never abandon my stories.

This is the part of the year where my writing time gets limited, so you can expect updates to be every two weeks, but as the year progresses, chapters will come much faster.

Also, just so you know, I am sitting down to write a new story soon and when I feel it is up to my impossibly high standards, I will be uploading two chapters a week for it—no title yet, but we're going to call it "The Goblin Wars" until further notice: _Tauriel and Kili have accompanied Bilbo to the Shire, but upon their return to Erebor, the sons of Durin are thrust into a war with goblins, an attempt by Sauron to get better footing by taking the mountain—but the Dark Lord will prove his power through a weapon none of them could have expected: Kili, son of Dis! _


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